


(not so) great pretenders

by viren_writes (fearlesswind)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Blade of Marmora Lance (Voltron), Bottom Lance (Voltron), Fuckbuddies, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Overstimulation, Porn with Feelings, Post Season 8, Rough Sex, Top Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:08:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fearlesswind/pseuds/viren_writes
Summary: Lance isn’t sure how they got to this point.Scratch that, he’s 100% sure how they got here.If only he had locked his room that dreadful sunny morning (not that he really minds where it got him in the end) or if he’d been more aware of his surroundings, this whole thing could’ve been avoided.But here they are.“Keithhh-ahh, Keithh, please-oh my god- please!”Fucking.I wish I could tell you my love
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 459





	(not so) great pretenders

**Author's Note:**

> one year working on this thing, i hope you all enjoy it.

Lance isn’t sure how they got to this point. 

Scratch that, he’s 100% sure how they got here. 

If only he had locked his room that dreadful sunny morning (not that he really minds where it got him in the end) or if he’d been more aware of his surroundings, this whole thing could’ve been avoided. 

But here they are.

“Keithhh- _ahh_ , Keithh, please- _oh my god_ -please!” 

Fucking. 

“ _Ah_ \- so bossy” Keith grunts against his neck, fingers trailing forceful touches over his thighs, “Always wanting- _ah_ more”

Lance squirms against his hold, fingers scratching that beautiful pale back with every hard thrust inside of him. Sweat clings to his back, pillows and sheets thrown all around aside in his bedroom when they started this whole thing. Time blurred by and he’s lost count of how long they’ve been at it. Keith is rough and passionate in everything he does. 

Especially if it involves making a mess of him.

He punches moan after moan from his mouth and it’s a blessing none of his neighbours have come over to quiet them down. It was definitely a good call to move out of his parent’s house and into the Garrison’s dorms (Also visiting Keith was much easier than before). 

“I’m-I’m _aaaahhh_ ,” His voice slurs, holding onto Keith’s back with his life. Stars appear behind his eyelids and he can’t make sense of anything but the pleasure overtaking him. That doesn’t stop the man from thrusting even deeper, “Keei- _Oh! Keithhh!_ ”

“So beautiful, so- _ahh_ -tight around me, hnng” Lance feels his legs shake against the bed. He tries stifling his moans against the pale column of Keith’s neck but it feels so good. Keith hisses against him, slowing down the roll of his hips “Keep going, make a mess of yourself”

“U-Uuuhh, too- _ah-too much_ ” His fingers run down Keith’s back and then up to his jet black hair, tanging themselves inside the threads. Lance gives a forceful tug, scream tearing outside his throat at the punishing thrust it rewards him, “ _Aah!_ Too much, Keith! Please Keith-” 

“You were- _oh fuck_ \- very clear on-hah what you waaanted” Keith pants, slowly pushing himself out of Lance’s arms. A cold rush hits him in the chest and Lance wants to pull the man back down again. Shivers run down his body as indigo starry eyes drink every single goosebump and shake he gives. It makes him moan and squirm effortlessly against the sheets. 

Keith chuckles and keeps the slow pace going, making him writhe even further. His voice is hoarse, but moan after moan slips past his tongue and into the air. Lance looks back at the man looming before him, all sweat and muscle and he can’t stop the onslaught of shivers and butterflies. 

He can barely keep the pace at all, still shaking from all over. His legs are boneless against Keith’s waist, ankles locked together and nerves frying. Tears are welling up in his eyes, soft cries tumbling at the rhythm of his heart. 

The sheets cling to his back and his fingers clench against the fabric, scratching and holding onto them with the last ounce of sanity in his mind. He can feel the rush surging once again, his cock spurring back to life against his soaked chest. 

“Aahhh! I ah! _Oh god_ ” He pleads, eyes shut in pleasure. 

A familiar wave is looming on the horizon and Lance feels the peak coming with every thrust Keith gives him. He’s still going oh so slowly against the two of them, their sex almost tender and caring. He could’ve easily thought they were a pair of lovers. 

“Kei-Keithhhhh I’m-I’m Uh!” He cries in the dead of the night, trying to stifle his loud noises but it’s impossible. His mouth runs on how good he’s feeling. And he’s about to get even louder “ _Oh Keith!_ ” 

“That’s it” Said man grunts, keeping the pace as even and still as possible “Let go sweetheart, just- _ah_ -let go” 

“ _Uuh!_ Withhh you,” Lance pries his eyes open, fingers shaking as he detangles them from the rumpled sheets. He trails them all the way up towards Keith’s face, cupping his cheeks with both hands “Please with- _ah!_ \- with you!” 

“ _Lance_ ” Keith moans and immediately falls down to his embrace. 

For a brief second Lance thinks Keith is finally going to kiss him. Close that never ending gap between them and break all barriers between their _“relationship”_. He can almost taste that sweet musk and intoxicating scent over his mouth as the man surges down. 

He whines and writhes the moment Keith’s lips land right down onto his neck. 

Lance almost wants to push him off and get his damned kiss, but he can hardly stop shaking. His arms and legs hold onto Keith’s frame, limbs lost to the oncoming pleasure. 

“ _Keithhh!_ No Kei-” His voice breaks into sobs, the tears finally spilling past his eyes. Whether it was from the loss or ecstasy, he wasn’t even sure. 

“So good- _Uuh!_ \- So good baby!” Keith moans over his skin, latching onto his neck. Lance feels those wonderful lips trailing kisses down his wet lips, all coherent speech finally leaving his body. 

He cries and sobs against the man, the sounds loud and obscene in their small cocoon. The bed creaks and shakes along with Lance, Keith speeding up his movements, every single thrust more erratic than the last one. 

“Ple- _Ah! Keith!_ ” 

Sharp teeth softly grace his skin before biting down. 

Lance cums against their bodies, body shaking from head to toe and overwhelmed sobs escaping his mouth. His fingers tightly hold onto Keith’s body, the only thing stringing him to the present. Another moan of his name and then he feels the condom fill inside his rim.

“Lance- _Ah, Lance_ ” Keith kisses every surface over his neck, committing every piece of skin to memory. He can hardly hear his name being called. Blue meets indigo and before he can gather up the courage to kiss that wonderful man in front of him he passes out. 

Who’s he trying to fool, this is the best thing that’s happened to him. 

* * *

If only Lance had locked the door to his room back in Cuba that sunny July morning, then maybe Keith wouldn’t have caught him pants down and hands stroking his dick over and over again. It was all that mullets fault for dropping in without any warning. 

On the other hand if Keith hadn’t found him like that, then present Lance wouldn’t have experienced the best sex he had in a while. Scratch that in his whole life. 

Pros and cons. 

He tried ushering Keith out of his room that day, covering his naked butt with every pillow and sheet pooled around his bed, cheeks aflame at the interruption. And god just when he was thinking of Keith all the same. 

And while a sane person would have apologized, blushed and left the room quickly after that, Keith continued to surprise him and do the exact opposite. 

_‘Need help?’_

Lance still reels back in that moment over and over like a broken tape. Soon after those words were uttered the Blade member quickly slammed the door shut and stripped himself off that godlike uniform. He almost bled at the sight of those abs and god his dick-

It was safe to say that after that morning, Lance was very familiar with being unable to not walk for a few days. Thank God his family were on a vacation, he wouldn’t have been able to look them in the eye after he and Keith fucked right in the middle of their goddamn kitchen. 

And though Lance was sated and thoroughly pleased with those wonderful orgasms, he wasn’t all too happy to where it got them in terms of their _‘relationship’_. 

It was his own fault for putting that first rule of no kissing action involved. 

‘No- _hah_ -kissing okay’ Lance pried Keith’s hands away from his face, panting and squirming between breaths ‘No, Keith, please don’t-’

‘Y not?’ The man moaned, nudging closer and closer, their noses bumping together ‘C’mon L- _ah_ -ance’ 

_Because we’re nothing_ , he thought, _because we’ll finish and then go on our own._

‘I don’t-t want to’ He whispered between moans, fingers scrambling over Keith’s bruised skin. The man only grunted in response and increased the ferocity of his hips. Lance cried out, head thrown back against the pillows. 

‘You’ll want it’ Keith whispered against his skin, sucking down on his collarbone and tightening his hold over his legs ‘I’ll make you wa- _ah_ -ant it’

Lance was sure Keith knew what he was doing to him time and time again after he tried getting that kiss. And every time he moved and dodged Keith’s with nothing more than a glance, his heart sank further. 

Thing was that Lance was very much in love with Keith before any of this came to be. 

Before they returned back to space, to hunt down Honerva and the remaining Galra factions, Lance could say he was pretty much crushing on Allura. And yeah, their date was great and all, his family loved her, they talked for hours to the night and had a wonderful time all together. But there was something itching. Something bugging and prodding at his heart all together. 

He was breathless and erratic every time his eyes found Allura’s. It left him giddy and happy in the best of ways amidst the constant threat of dying. They spent afternoons and nights together, talking and laughing, but it always led back to Voltron and their impending confrontation with the Galra. 

Lance knew their situation was tough, balancing a relationship with their responsibilities as paladins took a toll on both of them, and as days grew past, he was missing their friendship more and more. He missed the easy talks and reassuring advice, and while he knew Allura cared for him, she was too far away to love him as anything more than a friend. 

Once the realization hit, he thought he would be a crying mess, soaking up Hunk’s bed with tears and sobs for endless nights. Instead he simply moved past it, talked to the princess and the two of them parted ways. 

He won’t deny that he didn’t shed a couple of tears that day in his room, still keeping their picture together close at his nightstand. But the feeling that came with it was an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquil. 

That wouldn’t last long though, until they finally faced Haggar and stopped the threat to all realities once and for all. The battle was tough and there were way too many close calls for everyone involved, but they managed to make it in one piece all together. 

What he vividly remembers after returning triumphant aboard the Atlas was seeking Keith among the sea of happy faces. Lance leapt at him with a shout and instantly the man caught him with ease, arms curling at his waist and rocking him with a low chuckle.

Happiness was in Keith’s arms.

Earth slowly transformed once again, the world ever changing and picking itself back on its feet again. Voltron was no more and the lions soon went back to sleep inside the Galaxy Garrison, waiting for any threat that might arise. 

Allura, Coran and Romelle all moved to New Altea to the surprise of no one. Plans of starting anew brimmed in their eyes as they flew inside the Blue Lion and bid their goodbyes to everyone on Earth. The ex-supporters of Haggar also went along with them, following after their new Queen. 

Tears were shed as they bid their goodbyes, but Lance knew they could easily take a lion and make their way towards the new formed planet. That didn’t stop him from crying when he hugged Coran. Romelle shoved herself into the embrace, crying and trying to thank him between sobs. Allura joined in as well, hugging the living daylights out of him and planting a chaste kiss on his cheeks. 

Soon after that the Galaxy Garrison resumed with their activities, Pidge and her family taking over inside the science department, while Shiro and Adam took the positions as leaders of the new institution. Hunk stepped back as engineer, and went forward to pursue his hobby as a chef, Shay going along with his travels. 

Lance took a step back from the action as well, moving back to Cuba with his family to tend to their farm once again. The weight of the war and that sense of danger still clung to his body with a vice grip, unrelenting and pressing him down. As time flew by, he slowly got used to the feeling, therapy helping him cope with the nightmares and Kaltenecker being a good listener for him through and through. 

And to no one’s surprise Keith flew back to space again. He re-joined the Blade, being appointed as one of the new leaders of the organization along with his mother and Kolivan. Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid all followed after him, joining as their own personal team and working together under his instructions. 

Thing was, when Lance got a hold of the news, he didn’t leave his room for days. He didn’t cry, scream or even utter a single word in response. He just kept waking up and then going right back into his bed, going out to the farm was too much of a reminder. 

That was until he heard a familiar knocking by his bedroom door a few days later that he found himself at a sight of a very troubled half-galra. 

He didn’t hesitate to jump into a hug. 

After that incident, it became a tradition for Keith to barge in unannounced to his bedroom after a mission with the Blades. Whether it was a day, two weeks, a month or four, Keith always made sure to check up on him. They talked between missions as well, the two of them chatting miles and stars systems away from each other, but still keeping the connection. 

It didn’t ease all of his worries, but it brought him a sense of reassurance. 

And thus why Keith barged in without further notice that fated July morning. 

That same tradition continued on for most of their _‘relationship’_. Keith would come in unannounced a week or two, they would fuck whenever the house was alone (and sometimes really early in the morning when no one would be awake) and then he would leave for another mission at the Blades. Of course once Lance got the job as a flight instructor for the Garrison he moved all the way to the dormitories of the institute. Keith had an apartment there already and it made their “visits” much more easier. 

Though Lance enjoyed the pleasure and the orgasms all together, he was always left craving for more. He wanted that simplicity of coming home to someone; the comfortable late at night talks; helpless romantic dates all over town; being the other person’s anchor when needed. 

And he couldn’t see anyone other than Keith.

He should’ve confessed after they defeated Honerva, the day he came home to him, the moment Keith crashed against him on his bed and made love to him, and many other times. He has had so many opportunities. 

And he’s not even sure if Keith likes him back. 

* * *

Lance stirs against the sheets, eyes carefully blinking against the low lights in his apartment. He can’t seem to focus, eyes hazy, legs trembling in aftershocks, and tears rolling down his cheeks. How long has it been since he passed out? 

“Lance you with me?”

He meets Keith’s concerned eyes, his hands slowly trailing over Lance’s bare chest and thighs, leaving behind goosebumps. His pale skin is flushed, sweat clinging to that dark mane of hair and bruises already appearing over his back. 

“Are you okay?” He sounds meek, worried and scared out of his mind. Indigo eyes trail down his body over and over again, looking for any sign of discomfort. 

“Fine” Lance’s voice is hoarse, scratching against his throat and god Keith left him unable to speak as well. He giggles at Keith’s scandalized face, “Absolutely fine. No need to be worried Samurai” 

“You passed out” The man gulps, shoulders still tensed, “I-I got worried” 

“It’s not like it hasn’t happened before” 

“Still!” Keith growls, turning his blushing cheeks away, “Ugh, just shut up” 

“Aaaaw you’re such a sweetheart” Lance coos against his pillow, mind still reeling from the moment. Carefully he drags himself closer to the man next to him, legs still a bit unresponsive but he ignores the prodding feeling. Keith watches him, eyes pinned to his body and then right over his own. 

He giggles again and reaches out for him. Their hands meet without any preamble, Keith latching onto his own and Lance relishes in the comfort of it. He gives a small squeeze and Keith doesn’t hesitate to respond. 

“C’mon let’s sleep” Settling further against the bed, Lance pushes the dirty sheets away and pulls at the other man. 

“Lance” Keith stays unmoving, kneeling right over the bed. He tries prying his fingers away, but at the pout Lance gives him, he stops fighting all together “I need to clean you up first” 

“ _No_ ” He whines over the bed sheets, giving Keith the full ferocity of his pout and watering eyes “No, don’t leave me. C’mon let’s go back to bed” 

“Lance, please let me-” 

“Don’t go, please don’t go” 

Lance’s pleading is heard loud and clear. He tries sitting up in the bed, but he’s too tired and he feels his eyes dropping with every word he utters. Yawns and black lapses go in and out of his mind, but he refuses to sleep now. Not until he drags Keith back to bed with him. 

“Don’t leave me here” He must sound like a whiny child, frustrated tears springing up on his eyes, but he burrows further against the pillow, unable to look straight at Keith. 

Their hands are still connected, and Lance clings to them with the last bit of consciousness. His eyelids finally drop and he can’t get them to open up again. He fights to keep awake, just a few minutes longer but his body is no longer responding. 

“Keith please” 

He feels Keith’s heartbeat over their fingers, wild and soothing at the same time. Does he feel his own erratic heart as well? Does he know how his pulse picks up whenever he’s in the room?

_Does he?_

The last thing he remembers is a pair of soft lips being pressed up against his temple, long, careful and tender. And he hopes that those beautiful indigo eyes are the first thing he sees in the morning. 

* * *

He nuzzles deeper against the pillows, tugging harder at the discarded sheets over his bare chest. Refusing to wake up he keeps his eyes closed, and settles further into the great confinements of his bed. Lance hears a deep chuckle right by his ear and he’s too tired to even acknowledge it. 

He feels the warmth of the sunshine rays softly filtering through the window, engulfing his small cocoon in a dim orange glow but he keeps his eyes closed. Lance groans, his pillow not proving to be a good companion in these trying times. He fumbles across the bed and finally finds a familiar source of heat. Without thinking he crawls towards it and basically buries his face against that patch of skin. 

“You’re cuddlier than usual” 

He registers Keith’s amused voice, a few chuckles reaching his ears but Lance pays it no mind, he wants to sleep goddamn it. He tugs the sheets closer, drawing up his legs towards his chest and refuses to open his eyes. Another chuckle echoes through the room, followed by a pair of strong arms pulling him closer and closer. 

Lance snaps his eyes open, met only with the flawless patch of pale skin presented before him. Slowly he looks up and sure enough Keith is looking down at him, arms resting right over his waist and bringing him further into his embrace. His fingers tremble against the sheets, the drowsiness rushing out of his body with a sense of dread. His entire face is in flames.

Keith smirks.

“Morning sweetheart”

A squeak slips by and Lance instantly pulls away, legs tangling in the discarded sheets and almost leaving him sprawled against the hardwood floor if it weren’t for Keith’s grip. He groans to himself, praying for Haggar to come back and take him with her, and it only amuses the black haired man further. 

“Didn’t want to startle you” He says between breathy chuckles and it’s too early to feel that tingling sensation down his belly. Not after last night at least.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” Lance shrieks, hands resting over Keith’s bare chest “You’re such a-” 

“I’m such a what?” 

‘ _Such a dork_ ’ He swallows down the words, lips pulling up in a pout before turning away from those loving eyes. A million things want to spill out in that moment, roll off of his tongue and expose his deepest feelings, but Lance shuts them down. Each one of them. 

“Such an idiot” He mumbles against the bed, still refusing to meet the other’s eyes. Keith laughs further against their hold, chest rumbling with each breath. 

“Pretty sure you don’t complain about it” His voice is rough and so sure about each of those words. Lance can’t help but to glance back at him, and Keith hasn’t looked away. 

He’s always been defenseless against those indigo eyes. There’s something unspoken and alluring brewing inside of them. A spark flies between them with every fight, argument, reckless mischief that Keith encounters. That same rush appears in their lust filled nights, burning up and threatening to take him down as well. Lance always follows without question.

“And you certainly didn’t complain about it last night”

“Oh my god Keith!” Lance shrieks, this time really pulling away from the other man “You’re the worst!” 

“You love it” Keith sounds so confident, trailing up after him in his bed and Lance yelps once again. He takes the pillow between his hands and shoves it right back at the man’s face. Giggles slip past his lips as he keeps shoving Keith’s grinning face away. 

They mess up the bed and sheets even further, everything falling and twisting with one another as the two of them continue to crawl away and then closer. Lance shrieks the moment his legs finally give up on him and Keith wastes no time in circling his waist and practically drags him back into a sweaty embrace. He yelps at the contact, the glistening sweat of Keith rubbing on his own skin. 

“Ew no! You’re so gross!” His hands pry the man’s face away from him, legs practically boneless over the other’s hips. 

Keith chuckles and buries his face right over the crook of his neck, spluttering and dropping light feather kisses over that patch of skin. Lance laughs even harder, the touch sending his heart into override and tummy tumbling with repressed giggles. The tickles continue on and on as air leaves his lungs with each shriek. 

“I give! Hah! I give up!” He laughs, pushing Keith’s face away from his neck, “Mercy, mercy!” 

The man laughs, lips trapped between his mushy hands and the two of them laugh even harder. It always feels this easy with Keith. Whether it was fighting, talking or even just sitting in silence, Lance always feels at ease. He has nothing to prove to Keith, and vice versa. They’ve seen each other at their lowest, open and vulnerable with their fears and anxieties. Being able to laugh and bicker like this with him feels like a blessing. 

Keith’s adorning smile feels right in every single way.

“I lov-”

Lance bites down on his tongue, iron flooding his mouth instantly. 

_I fucked up, I fucking fucked up_

His heart might burst out of his chest at any second, threatening to spill every single feeling and thought at the man in front of him. Words get up in his mouth, fighting to slip past and fill the empty room, but Keith’s eyes are enough to render him speechless. 

Indigo eyes are wide and open, spark aflame, searching and glinting with curiosity all the same. A hint of recognition passes by and Lance feels exposed to the very bone. 

“What?” Keith whispers, breaking the silence in one swift cut “Lance, wha-”

An alarm goes off, and Lance backs away with it. He clutches to the bed sheets, knuckles white to keep them from shaking. The room feels a thousand times hotter, tempting him to get rid of the suffocating clothes, but he keeps holding on to it. 

Keith keeps staring at him, eyes never leaving his frame, as Lance settles on the other side of the bed. He refuses to meet his eyes, cheeks ablaze and heart thundering. ‘ _Way to fuck things up Lance_ ’ He mentally curses at himself, tempted to furrow deep into a cocoon of blankets.

The bed dips forward and Keith’s face is suddenly there. Their soft breaths mingle together, noses almost bumping and his fleeting eyes can’t seem to stray from Keith’s. Lance doesn’t have time to react as the boy drops and gently kisses the crown of his neck. A small breathless whimper escapes him, but as soon as it's there, those lips are gone. 

Lance watches Keith stand from the bed and rummage through his set of clothes. ‘ _God he’s still naked!_ ’ The mere sight of thin red lines in the man’s back sends him in an override. Spluttering he turns away from the sight, covering every inch of his body with the same sheets, ignoring the blazing heat.

“Keith here” 

He clings to the bed sheets tighter, looking back at the discarded clothes littered across the floor and all the way back into the hallway. Quickly he snatches his own pair of boxers, slipping them on with a bit of effort.

“What?”

His eyes turn back to Keith at the tone. He instantly recognizes the gesture, posture rigid and shoulders tense. ‘ _What now?_ ’ is the only question his mind can muster before he crawls towards the other man over the bed. 

“Is there no one else available?” 

The question cuts off Lance’s train of thought like a blade. He sighs out loud, shoulders already slumping and awaiting for those set of words. 

He’s been on the end of cancelled plans and trips by Keith over and over again within the short span of their new ‘relationship’. No matter how much in advance Lance asked and booked everything, a mission would pop out here or there and Keith’s team would be sent off into space. He never argued or confronted him about it, they weren’t anything official or anything, Keith was a free man with the liberty to do anything he wanted. 

That didn’t mean it stung any less as time went by. 

“Give me until midday. Keith out” 

With a final press of a button, Keith tosses the phone over the bed and sighs. Lance has seen the posture and the attitude way too many times now. Slowly he inches closer and wraps his fingers around the man’s wrist.

“What happened?” 

Keith turns to look at him, frowning and mouth set in a thin line. Lance can’t keep his mouth shut.

“Was it Kolivan?” 

“They’re sending me on another mission” He quietly murmurs, “I’m leaving at noon” 

Lance can’t stop the sharp intake of breath and immediately lets go of Keith. The man sighs again and fully turns to him. He knows that this ‘Saving the Universe’ gig was never going to let go of them. It was always the universe first, themselves second. And even if he’s tired, so tired from all of this, he can’t keep Keith from doing it. 

“You just got back” Lance whispers, “Can’t-can’t they send someone else?” 

He knows it’s futile to ask. 

“It’s a distress signal and the planet is next to Earth’s quadrant. Me and the team we’re the closest to getting there” Keith explains, slowly sitting back down on the bed. He tries reaching out to Lance, but drops his hand midway. Lance doesn’t call him out on it. 

Words get stuck in his throat. So many questions, demands, and pleas go unheard. He doesn’t want to burden Keith anymore than he has. They’re not together and he can’t ask for more of his time. 

“Lance I’m-”

“Don’t” Lance holds onto the bed sheets and gives Keith a small smile. The man opens his mouth but he cuts him off again, “Don’t apologize Keith. It’s not your fault.” 

He tries to sound convincing through his blurry eyes and climbs out of the comfort of his bed. Without a second glance he starts picking up their discarded clothes off of the floor.

“We won’t be able to do everything we planned but at least we can make these three hours count” He says, as he tosses their dirty clothes into a bin. Lance doesn’t stop to even look at Keith, now picking up the pillows and sheets off the floor, “You can shower first and in the meantime I can make you those blueberry pancakes you like so much. Then maybe we can skip lunch and go over to the hoverbikes or something-”

“Lance-”

“No, no, no let me talk Mullet. We can pilot hoverbikes for like ten minutes? I think? No, but that’s too soon for you. Hm well maybe twenty and then we head on over to Shiro’s and Adam’s-”

“Lance, wait listen-”

“Keith c’mon work with me, I’m trying to come up with a plan for this. So we head over to their place-”

“Lance” 

“Keith”

“Laaance”

“Keeeeith. What are we playing a game or something?” 

“Look at me”

“We need to clean this up mister”

“We will, but look at me” 

“You need to get in the shower if we want to do everything we want to do. C’mon off you go”

“Lance, please” 

Softly he feels Keith’s hands finding their way over his waist, wrapping themselves around it and making their nest there. He sighs, dropping everything in his hands and turns to throw himself at the man’s waiting embrace. 

He hugs the living shit out of Keith, earning him a soft sigh and those wonderful arms returning the fervent hug. Lance burrows his face deep in the crook of his neck, faint traces of cinnamon and fresh cut grass reach his nostrils. He wants to savor Keith’s scent over and over again.

“Just come back” _Come back to me_ “Please” 

“I will” Keith whispers. 

Lance leans back, his eyes already welling up with tears, but he blinks them away.

“C’mon then, you still have to shower you stink.”

“Come with me.” 

Keith holds on, right hand curling against his own and continues to look straight at him. He doesn’t know what to make of it.

“T-To the shower?” His cheeks flare up, eyes darting across the room. He definitely won’t be able to walk if they go for another round so early in the morning. God they might even take up those three hours they have left, “N-no fucking way Keith, you want me to limp for the rest of my vacations?!” 

“N-Not there.” Keith’s face heats up as well, “To the mission”

Silence and then:

“The mission?” Lance barely mutters, hand still trapped between Keith’s own. He opens his mouth but no other words come out. 

It’s been years since he last set foot in space, and as much as Lance misses it, he’s still unsure if he’s ready to go back to that frenzy again. One thing is to visit Allura and the rest on New Altea and another completely different thing is to go on a mission with the Blades. The blood, the screams, the vacan looks in the people’s eyes still haunt him to this day. Is he really up for it?

“I-I can’t do that” He says, indigo eyes glued to his, “It’s been years since I’ve used a weapon. I’m-m not even in the Blade. Hell I’m not even Galra!”

“You can join as a former paladin of Voltron”

“I’m pretty sure you just made that up” Lance quips back, trying to free himself from Keith’s grip but relents halfway, “I won’t be of any help up there.”

“You always sell yourself too short” Keith gives his hand a small squeeze and slowly brings him closer. Lance goes willingly, “We need a medic with us. The mission is to hand out supplies and offer any assistance if the situation arises.”

“Wasn’t Acxa suited for that?”

“Believe me she’d rather have your medical expertise over her own”

“We were both trained under Coran, she basically knows the same things I do!”

“Doesn’t have the same experience as you” Keith leans down until their foreheads touch. Lance continues to look back at him, unwilling to part away, “How can I convince you to come with me?” 

“I...” He wants to. Deep down he still feels that thrill under his veins drumming at the thought of being in the vast sea of stars. There’s an ache, etched deep inside his body to go back once again. But at the same time, there’s a looming fear just waiting to swallow him whole. What if he goes back and he can’t travel back to Earth? What if he and Keith split up halfway and he can find his way back to him? What if Keith doesn’t come back? What then? What happens to him? To Lance? 

Lance shudders at the thoughts, eyes snapping shut, breaths ragged and fighting against a current. Keith’s grip on him becomes tighter and his voice calls out to him, but he can’t hear anything but the roar of the sea. 

He’s afraid. Afraid of what might happen if he goes back there.

But he’s more afraid of Keith not coming back.

“I-I want to.” He stutters, breaths ragged and knuckles white against Keith’s hold, “I want to go with y-you, but...”

Keith continues to stare at him, a rock against the crashing waves. It’s enough to steady his nerves for the moment, enough to get a small breather before his mind makes up.

“I’m still-”

“I know”

The quiet confession renders him speechless. He can only see Keith’s determination, ever so steady and calm, steadying him. It washes away the remaining doubts in his mind.

“I’m asking a lot from you.” Keith states, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze “As much as I want you to go with me, I won’t force you to do anything. You know that, right?”

_Of course I do you idiot_ , his mind replies, lips fighting back a hesitant smile. Carefully, he slides his hands from Keith’s and gently intertwines their fingers together. His cheeks continue to flare up at the intensity from those indigo eyes, but he can’t look away. 

“I know Keith” He says, heart thundering away before his mouth opens again “That’s why I’m coming with you.”

Before Keith can even register the words, Lance quickly leans away and presses a chaste kiss to his cheek. A wheeze breathes into the air and just like that, Lance is already out the bedroom, face ablaze. 

“Just get in the damn shower Kogane! We leave in two!”

Strings of curses faintly reach his ears as Lance quickly gets to work on those pancakes before their departure. Anything to get that erratic heartbeat of his to slow down. 

* * *

“We received a distress signal from the planet Auster. The citizens, the Danae tribe, have run out of medical stock ever since the war with the Galra ended.” Krolia explains, as she and Lance make their way down to the Garrison’s hangar, “They were one of the few planets that managed not to get invaded, but their resources are thinning out thanks to the great amount of refugees seeking shelter in the planet”

Lance nods along to her words, taking every bit of information that he can as they walk down the corridor. After a frantic morning, Lance finally met up with Krolia to get the much needed info regarding their upcoming mission, while Keith went over to Shiro’s to fetch Kosmo.

“The mission is to travel there and just hand them back supplies, and assist anyone in need of medical intervention” She ends, her eyes leaving the data pad in front of her to look back at him “Any questions?”

“It sounds simple enough” He answers, “But nothing is ever simple with you guys” 

“Stay alert in case something else happens.” Krolia advises, the doors in front of them sliding open with a small hiss, “Not that I need to remind you, you know how these things go” 

Lance wants to argue back that no, he doesn’t know how ‘these things go’ because he’s never been on a mission as a Blade member before. As if sensing his distress, the Galra simply regards him with an easy smile before adding:

“And if not, there’s Keith,” She continues walking forward, a rush of dry air hitting them in full force, “He’ll do anything before anything happens to his team, especially if _you’re_ involved.”

Krolia’s eyes are dancing with mirth catching him completely off guard. A quiet laugh passes her lips and honestly what the hell? Did Krolia even know about their thing going on? Did Keith tell her?! 

“H-He better!” Lance exclaims, trying to convince himself that his face heating up is thanks to the hot Arizona desert “I’m going to this thing practically blind!”

Krolia chuckles in response, leading him away towards the looming Galra spaceship sitting right in the center. Several engineers are already assessing the ship, checking any last details or failures it might have, along with some Blade members loading up the last set of the crates. 

The majority of the people salute the two of them as they pass, Lance and Krolia responding in kind, but he still feels their eyes lingering on his back. Either it was because of his fame as an ex-paladin of Voltron or for the fact of seeing a human clad in the Blades uniform. Past Lance would’ve relished in the attention but now he only wants to launch into space right there. 

Lance now understands why Keith never wanted to part ways with his Blade uniform. It was less bulkier and heavy than their paladin armour, the slick cloth clinging and protecting every crevice of the body, sturdy and ever so light. Lance had to admit that wearing it did make him feel better, more secure. Besides, he was rocking the suit. 

A low whistle echoes through the room and that’s when he spots Hunk and Pidge right next to the ship. 

“Ugh no stop it Hunk, he’ll want a million compliments now” Pidge grunts already displeased at the dazzling grin on Lance’s face. 

“Lookin’ good buddy!” Hunk smiles and Lance practically launches at him with a hug. They hardly stumble and he has to fight down his oncoming blush. 

“Awww you’re the best Hunk” He says, parting away from their hug and then turning to Pidge, striking a pose “Do I really not look good?” 

“I rather not say” Pidge snorts, a smile still creeping past her lips “Keep that up and you’ll have a crowd of people around you” 

“Pidge!” He squeaks, face ablaze once more. The girl rolls her eyes at the ration. 

“What? You wanted compliments, there you have them” She snickers, “Your legs do look amazing though”

“Stop!” 

“Yeah I agree with Pidge here. It definitely suits you” Hunk pipes up and then exclaims “Oh Keith is going to have a field day with this!”

“Oh my god, I need to see that” Pidge snorts behind her palm.

“No, no, no! Stop!” 

Lance’s face is in flames, embarrassment now crawling all the way up to his chest. Christ he didn’t even think about that situation. _He’s going to see me in this_ , he thinks mortified. He remembers all of those times he had seen Keith in his own uniform and god he doesn’t want a hard on so early in the mission.

“Hey no buddy” Hunk interrupts his spiraling thoughts, shoving himself in front of Lance “Don’t go down there. You look amazing! There’s nothing to worry” 

“But he’s going to-” 

“And he’s gonna love it” And with a snap Pidge has already taken a picture of him in the dreaded suit. Lance shrieks and before he can snatch the cellphone out of the girl's hands, the swift sound of a message sent reaches his ears. 

“Pidge!” He cried, “Why would you do that?!” 

“Just giving him a head’s up.” She tucks away the phone inside her lab coat and turns to him again eyebrows raised “He’s still going to see you, you know? You’re going on a mission together and everything” 

“I-I know that!” Lance straightens, crossing his arms across his chest, eyes searching for some solace in the floor, “I-just, ugh I don’t know” 

“I thought you liked Keith” And god he knows he shouldn’t trust Hunk with this stuff!

“Don’t shout it!” He exclaims, a couple of people already looking their way. God this is going worse, he just hopes Krolia isn’t hearing anything! “We-we’re friends! Great friends! The best of the best!” 

“That’s what we’re calling it now” Pidge mutters.

“It’s just friendship between us gremlin!”

“Suuure, loads of friendship it seems” She snickers and points at his neck “The uniform isn’t covering your hickeys you know” 

Lance gasps, hands already scrambling with the collar of the uniform to cover up any spot he had missed. 

“I did not need that mental image” Hunk groans, “You don’t have anything Lance, she’s just messing with you.” 

“And he totally fell for it.” 

“God I really hate you sometimes” He hisses, crossing his arms once again, face still red as ever. 

Hunk and Pidge keep their eyes on him, silently prodding him for answers, but he’s not going to say anything. They’re just friends. Friends who happen to fuck each other when the other visits. Multiple times a day. And extremely exclusive between them.

Friend in a fuck-buddies serious relationship.

As if that settled things. 

“Ah Blue Paladin”

Lance turns, and walking towards them are Kolivan and Axca, the latter already geared up in the same uniform as his. Hunk and Pidge salute them and Lance quickly joins in after them. They try stifling their chuckles at the sight of the two aliens slowly doing their own version of a salute. Hand half turned and uncertainty still lingering in their eyes.

“Hey Kolivan” Lance greets the alien, giggles escaping past his lips “Long time no see” 

“It has” The Blade Leader gives him a curt nod, the barest hint of a smile gracing his lips “I didn’t think you would join us any time soon”

“Uh yeah me either” He laughs, “This was unexpected at best” 

“Regardless I am grateful you decided to come” The Galra adds “Keith’s told me all about your medical training with Coran and Acxa has recommended you quite plenty for previous missions”

“What?” He turns to the woman who’s already giving Kolivan a side-galre, “Aw Acxa! But you always got the potions right remember! I always stirred the herbs too much”

“But your methods always proved to be most efficient in the long run.” She turns back to him, stoic and serious as ever. Her lips turn up just a tiny bit before adding, “You’ll be a great addition to the team” 

“I-Really?” He blinks, smile already widening, “You really think so?” 

“You _are_ a Paladin of Voltron” She dryly comments, crossing her arms over her chest “And from what Veronica’s told me you are pretty capable as a Garrison instructor. A bit too enthusiastic with your students though.” 

“Those kids adore him” Pidge pipes up, Hunk sniggering in the back, “And Lance is too much of a softie to ever give them trouble.”

“They really work hard you know!” 

“Kolivan, Acxa” Krolia steps into their small group, giving a courteous nod as a greeting. The two of them do the same, as Pidge and Lance exchange another look before trying to contain their laughs. 

“Thank you for fetching the Blue Paladin Krolia” Kolivan addresses her “I was still discussing some details with the Danae council to get the mission going and it didn’t seem to come to an end any time soon” 

“It was no problem” She says, with a small smile gracing her lips “Lance makes good company”

He coughs into his hands, surely expecting anything but that. His family and friends complimenting him was one thing; colleagues was also another thing; but, for someone like Krolia, a commander in the Blade of Marmora, to actually admit liking spending time with him? God he was on the Moon. 

_What’s with the Koganes today?_

“You’re going to give Lance a seizure if you keep going” Hunk chortles, nudging him with his elbow. His entire face must be entirely red by this point, his skin permanently painted with such color. 

“I am only speaking the truth” Krolia continues, unfazed and with the same small frown as Keith whenever he doesn't understand social cue,s “I have been trying to convince Keith for months to invite Lance in our missions”

“Ohohohoh!” Pidge sing-songs, the three aliens turning to her with confusion in their eyes, “See! This is what I’m talking about! Even your mother-in-law-”

“Don’t!” Lance slaps a hand over Pidge’s mouth, ignoring the squeals and utterly disgusting tongue slobbering his palm. Hunk only laughs harder, “ _No, no, no te atrevas!_ ” 

“I don’t get them either” Acxa mutters under her breath at Kolivan’s blink.

“Back to the topic of the mission Blue Paladin” The Blade leader straightens up, “I guarantee your help will be of utmost importance. While it is merely a resources mission we can’t be too comfortable and let our guard down if a situation arises.” 

“How long until you take off?” Krolia asks as Lance gives Pidge another shove, cleaning his hands over her own lab coat. He ignores her indignant cries.

“We are bound to part once Ezor and Zethrid return from their past reckon. All the crates and boxes have been loaded up so there’s nothing missing.” Acxa pipes up, taking a small data pad from her belt, “From there, until Keith arrives.”

“Acxa!” A familiar voice booms through the whole room, the hissing doors barely quelling the shrill scream. Lance’s ears strain along with the others, some engineers whispering in annoyance as Ezor struts inside the room. 

“Ezor for the last time you don’t need to shout. We can hear you just fine” Acxa scowls at the laugh she gets in response. 

“Oh but where’s the fun in that?” She giggles, Zethrid coming up a few steps behind her. 

“She reminds me of someone” Pidge comments and Lance instantly rounds up on her. 

“Someone needed to cheer up the Castle of Lions!” He exclaims “And I’ve never heard you complain about my hugs”

“We always appreciated your hugs buddy” Hunk pipes up, giving him a small squeeze and then whispered “Pidge especially”

“What was that?” 

“Aww there’s no need to act so bossy Pidgeotto” With that Ezor’s eyes turn to Lance and she lets out a loud squeal. 

“Ezor!” Krolia reprimands her. 

“Little blue is here!” She runs at him and instantly throws her arms around his waist. Lance squeals barely able to stand upright on his spot, arms wide around him. Hunk and Pisge both take a few steps back, unsure on how to proceed. The alien squeezes him even tighter, “Oh it’s been sooooo long!” 

“Ezor let the boy breathe” Zethrid tries calming her, clearly with no intentions of intervening. 

“It’s-uh it’s nice to see you too?” He asks, slowly returning the enthusiastic hug. The girl squeals even more, parting away to stand next to her girlfriend. 

“We’ve missed you so much!” She giggles again and Zethrid only grumbles in response. She notices the rest of them “Oh! Green and yellow are here too! Hello!”

“Hey” Hunk waves a bit still on edge. Lance can’t blame him, no one on the team was super excited when they joined their side. Sure they were glad more Galras were joining them, but with the past history they shared, not so much. ‘ _Trust me I know what I’m doing_ ’ Keith told them once he announced he had recruited them for his team, and as much as Lance wanted to protest, he kept his mouth shut. 

“Wait a T” She pouts, eyes stuck back on Lance, blinks and then points “As much as I’d love a visit from you I have to ask, why are you here?” 

“He’s joining us on the mission to Auster” Acxa pipes up “Keith invited him” 

“ _Oh!_ ” Her bright smile fills with mischief in a matter of seconds, “Oh Keith invited you”

“Finally worked up the nerve” Zethrid whispers but instead it echoes across the whole room. It’s like a pin drop, silence and then rushed chattering filling his ears. His skin was going to tan with the amount of blood rushing to his cheeks.

“Shut it!” He points back at both Pidge and Hunk. 

“We didn’t say anything!” 

“But you were thinking about it!”

“Oh this is wonderful” Ezor giggles behind her hand, “Keith talks so much about you! _‘Lance this, Lance that’_ We were wondering when you we’re going to show up”

“He what?!”

“Okay that’s enough” Krolia settles, a silence following soon after. Acxa sighs and then drags both Ezor and Zethrid away and into the spaceship. Pidge and Hunk busy themselves with their data pads, ignoring Krolia’s steady glance. Kolivan merely shares a look with her before turning to Lance again.

“I must leave, there’s a meeting going on between Coran and General Iverson” He says and salutes them both before adding “Good travels Lance”

He barely has time to recover before the man is already half across the hangar. Lance is gaping and then turns to Krolia with a wild grin. 

“Oh he called me by my name!” He cheers and Krolia can barely repress her chuckle “ This is an achievement! This is glorious!”

“He’s always known it. Kolivan just acts extremely formal with everyone” She adds, crossing her arms “Besides he’s been insisting Keith to invite you as well”

“What?” He laughs, and now that’s not true, “Now you’re going to tell me that everyone’s been wanting me to join the Blades?”  
  


“Yes.”

She says it without any problem, the affirmation steady and so sure on her lips. It throws him back just a little bit at the admission. Now he knows where Keith gets all of this confidence and reassurance. He fiddles with his hands, eyes darting away from her. Krolia in turn just continues to look at him. 

“Keith’s just been waiting for the right time to ask you” She says and then laughs, “But knowing him, he probably asked you on an impulse” 

_Well she clearly knows her son_ , he thinks with a small smile.

“He gets anxious when you’re not around” Krolia continues, something fond and quite endearing beneath that gaze. Lance’s stomach drops, chest clenching at nothing as he turns to her, “Not that I’m saying you’re not a good soldier in the field. Everyone knows that. But Keith misses you a lot” 

_I miss him too_ , he admits to himself, _all the fucking time_. 

“He gets frantic, way more reckless than usual. I thought he was still getting used to his new team and the leadership that came with it. But I was wrong”

Lance can feel the blow before she even continues. 

“He’s steady with you. You anchor him. And he misses you”

Krolia smiles all soft and knowing and Lance is thrown back into that moment when Keith came knocking down on his bedroom door. He’s sure about his own feelings, knows the extent of how much love and adoration pours out of his heart Keith. And while he’s been doubting the man’s own feelings, Krolia pretty much laid it all out for him. 

_He trusts me._

_He misses me._

_He lov-_

“Lance”

He turns and walking right towards him is the very same man. The one he loves. The one who may quite possibly love him back as well. 

Keith is suited up in his usual Blade outfit, the same one Krolia and Kolivan wear, and even though Lance has seen him in that uniform countless times, now it does things to him. Whether it was that calm gaze, relieved smile or the confidence radiating out of him, Lance knows that he’s blushing ten times brighter.

It’s until the man is close enough that Lance sees a pink blush also dusting his cheeks at the sight of him. God he hopes Keith was dumb enough to leave his cellphone behind. 

“Hey” He weakly waves at him, looking for something to cover up his uniform. Maybe this was a bad idea, nope, don’t go there brain “Long time no see?”

“Sure felt like it” Keith says it like it’s nothing. And right in front of his mom, who’s grin only widdens. Lance fiddles with the belt on his uniform and he can feel the man’s eyes on him. It’s just a fickle but it’s enough to see the way Keith’s gaze slowly trickles all the way up and up his legs and towards his hips.

_Block it! Block it! Don’t want to get a boner in this thing!_

“Lance!” Shiro’s cheerful greeting cuts the moment and thank the heavens for his obliviousness. The General of the Atlas quickly catches up after Keith, opening up his arms for a hug and Lance doesn’t wait to walk right into it. 

“Hey Shiro” He greets against the hug, leaning back to look around “Where’s Adam?”

“Oh he had to stay back to look after Kosmo”

“What?” Lance turns to Keith then, “Did something happen to him? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, he’s just being a big baby” Keith grumbles, shaking his head, “Apparently he ate too many sweets, no thanks to Nadia and Kinkade, and now has some sort of stomach ache. I thought it would be better to let him rest.”

“Yeah, Adam and Matt are holed up with Colleen trying to find a sedative” Shiro explains, “They all wish you safe travels and Adam insisted me on reminding you guys to be careful”

“We’re always careful” Lance grins, “Right Keith?”

“Extremely” He smirks back.

“Yeah well you two gave me enough gray hairs to last for a lifetime” Shiro grumbles and then envelops Keith in a big hug. 

Lance melts at the sight of the two of them. Keith returns the hug without any preamble, happily giving his brother a small squeeze and making Shiro wheeze in response. He almost feels tempted to join in on their small moment but holds back.

“Oh group hug!”

Hunk envelops both Shiro and Keith without problem, Pidge burrowing her way between the three of them, complaining but smiling all the same. Lance can’t keep the giggles from bubbling out and then Keith is looking right back at him. 

“C’mon Lance you love this stuff” Pidge teases.

“Ugh you’re all so bothersome” He says between chuckles. 

Without beckoning he jumps right into the hug, colliding head-first into Pidge and Keith. The girl shrieks almost toppling over but Shrio quickly steadies them both and Hunk laughs. Lance grins against Keith, furrowing even closer. The man doesn’t send to mind, immediately wrapping a secure arm around his frame. 

He doesn’t need any more confirmation. Not at the moment anyway. Not in the way Keith keeps looking at him, with his reassuring gaze and thunderous heartbeat. 

Because there’s a small chance that Keith might love him too.

* * *

“They finally convinced you to go” 

“Keith is a very persuasive person” 

“Uh-huh and I was born yesterday Lance” 

“Shut up” He laughs, hauling up another closed crate and storing it onto a neatly stacked pile at his left. There’s a slow hum coming from the ship, one he’s grown accustomed to in the last two days of traveling as the room slowly rocks forward and back. Lance opens up another crate, counting and checking all of the medicine’s dates and contents. He kneels down, stars and nebulas twinkling on the bright window next to him as he takes vials and testing tubes with precise fingers. 

“Come on!” Allura giggles over the speaker, voice booming in his ear “You have to give me all the deets! I’m dying of boredom here! Coran assigned me thousands of meetings just for today and Romelle is out with Luca!” 

“Oh poor you” He sing-songs, shaking the small glass before checking it off the small list on his data pad, “And I’m just your entertainment bit or what?” 

“Ugh you’re so infuriating when you’re like this”  
  


“Excuse you I am a delight!” Lance exclaims, putting down another series of glasses, “You’re the one stuck on a gorgeous planet and I’m in a spaceship counting medicine vials”

Two days had passed since they left Earth and traveled right to the planet Auster. Acxa had de-briefed him on the conditions of the planet after taking off, giving him a series of documents on all the customs and diseases they might encounter once they arrived. 

The Blade had assembled around twenty crates filled with the latest medicines and vials to take to the civilians. Not only that but they had stocked around fifty more crates with food and resources for them to give out. The team was assigned to distribute the crates between the members of the Danae tribe along with providing medical assistance if the need rose. 

Lance took it upon himself to check on every single medicine and vial to make sure they were properly made and mixed, checking ingredients and expiration dates. Of course the Blade were a very efficient group and it was highly unlikely someone slipped a potential drug, but he wanted to check up on it. 

So for the past two days between eating, chatting with everyone and sleeping, Lance was holed up in the storage room checking every single glass bottle. Acxa insisted that she had already checked everything twice but he still wanted to feel somehow useful in the mission.

Keith and Acxa always took it upon themselves to pilot the ship and whenever one of them grew too tired, Lance would step up to take it upon himself. Ezor was in charge of the food and Lance also helped her in doing the dishes and prepping up their meals. Zethrid took charge of the blasters in case an enemy ship popped out of nowhere, but so far their journey had been quite peaceful. He always made sure to visit her once or twice in her station.

Lance knew he was wearing himself thin, trying to juggle everything. He wasn’t sleeping all that great either, his small cot was way colder than his bedroom. And it didn't help that Keith and him were in separate rooms (obviously he wasn’t to voice that one out loud).

So he was currently working on four hours of sleep maximum.

“You better be careful with those” 

“Shush you” He mutters, sighing against the small storage room. 

  
“Lance if Acxa already told you she checked the crates, _twice_ , I don’t see the point in doing it again”

“Look I just want to make sure I know what’s in this stuff” Lance huffs, opening another crate to examine, “I have to be prepared if something pops up”

“You’re overworking” She comments, “You won’t be any help to anyone if you are dead on your feet Lance”

“Okay thanks for the tip Mom” He draws out, a bit more frustrated than before “I’m fine! It’s just a check and if I get sleepy I’ll catch a few zzz’s when we get to the planet”

“You’re insufferable” 

“Love you too princess”

Lance can’t contain a big yawn from slipping out, rubbing at his eyes when they go out of focus. He could really use a quick nap after all. Maybe if he finished up the crate he’ll take a quick break on the floor, just to rest his eyes.

“How are things going with Romelle?” He quips back, trying to peel his eyes open again.

“How are things going with Keith?”

“Seriously, you too?”

“You told me you had a crush on him six months ago Lance!” Allura replies, clear frustration edging in her voice “You can’t just drop something like that and just leave it there!”

“Well you didn’t tell me you had a date with Romelle! How about that?” Lance quips back, the same burning desire to ask and at the same time hide from the princess’ questions “Rizavi told me!”

“I swear to all gods above I can’t catch a break” She mutters under her breath before quipping back “Yes we had a ‘date’ as you Earthlings call it. At least one of us is doing something about it”

“Oh yeah poor me, I’ll wallow in my misery. Forget that, give all the details!”

Lance could practically hear her eyes roll all the way out in space. Allura didn’t need to know he skipped so many steps with Keith. Not that he regrets the orgasms in any way or form. 

“We had a picnic in the juniberry field. The one you helped with back in New Altea” The princess grows shy, her twinkling marks surely lighting up her whole face by now, “I prepared the food with the help of Luca and Coran”

“That’s so romantic” He giggles, putting down another vial and opening up the next one,“What else?”

“We-am we talked mostly” She stutters out her reply, “We ate a traditional dish and then we took a stroll out in the garden. I-um I also gave her a gift, an opal pair of earrings. She seemed to like them”

“That was you?!” Lance shrieks and sure enough he remembers Romelle in one of their video calls wearing the infamous opals, “She wears them all the time! She even refused to tell me where she got them, claiming it was a ‘very precious gift’”

Allura stays quiet and Lance only laughs louder, feeling the embarrassment sipping out of the call. ‘ _That’s so cute, that’s so fucking cute_ ’ he thinks all giddy and god he can picture his two friends together, cheeks ablaze and stuttering through their chat. 

“Soooo, when’s the next date?”

“I-I haven’t asked her”

“What? And what are you waiting for, princess! The girl is clearly smitten with you!”

“You’re the one to talk” Allura deflects “Keith’s been pinning after you for ages and I haven’t seen you done anything about it!”

“Okay first of all, he has not!” Though that new revelation and suggestion springs up in Lance’s mind once more. _Keith might like me. He might actually be in love with me_ , but he shakes it away once more, “And second I would’ve noticed”

“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told” Allura finishes with a chortle.

“What, you don’t believe me? I’m super perceptive”

“Yeah when it's a life or death situation. Not when it involves your love life.” The princess giggles and then continues, “You haven’t even noticed that Kinkade had a crush on you”

“He what?!”

Allura’s laughter cuts off as the door hisses open. 

Lance immediately turns and feels a jolt of electricity ignite every nerve and cell nesting inside his body. Butterflies and fireworks mix together at his belly, words fizzing out of existence in a mere second. That same fire as before begins to flare at the sight of the man.

“Keith!” 

“Hey” Keith answers, voice rough and groggy with sleep, that sends Lance a spark of arousal. His hair is tousled back, sticking up in every possible direction, ponytail lost in the nest of black strands. Lance is reminded of the countless times they woke up together in bed, eyes hazy and sheets thrown over their naked bodies. The fire continues to grow.

“Keith?” Allura’s voice cuts off his train “Keith’s there? Hello Keith!”

“Is-Is that Allura?” Keith steps forward into the room, the door closing behind him. 

“Keith, when are you and Lance going out on a date?” The princess screams in Lance’s ear before he can even think about ending the call, “Remember Lance Kinkade had a crush on you, it can quickly come back!”

“Shush!” Lance squeals, practically tearing the intercom away from his ear. He doesn’t dare spare a glance in Keith’s direction, “Talk to you later Allura!”

“No, don't leave me hang-!”

“Bye, bye!”

And without another word, Lance quickly ends the call, cutting off Allura’s words. Cheeks flushed and heart hammering his pulse away, he turns back to Keith. The Galra stands right by the entrance, confusion pulling at his face but a small smile tugging at his beautiful lips.

“What was that about?”

“It-it was nothing” He replies, trying not to knock down the crate he was just checking, “Just catching up with Allura”

“And why’re you all red for?” Lance slaps both hands on his face, hiding away his reddening cheeks from Keith’s eyes. The man in turn only chuckles and truges further into the room. 

“Did-did you know?”

“Know what?” Keith frowns for a second, stopping a few feet away from him. Lance finally stands up from the floor, retreating his shaking fingers away from his face. 

“W-Well Allura said something about um Kinkade having a crush on me” He answers, avoiding the man’s eyes, hands clasping together, then unclasping, then back again. His gaze sweeps over at Keith and he stops.

Something flashes behind those indigo eyes, shoulders squaring up and jaw tightly snapping shut. The pose is extremely familia, taking Lance back to the celebrations when they won against the Galra. Whenever a stranger came too close to any of the members of Voltron, Lance specifically, and Keith would fend them away, piercing eyes and mouth set in a snarl.

It’s similar, but different at the same time. Angrier and something else lurking underneath. 

“I thought you knew” Keith grunts, eyes darting away, but rigid posture still in place. Lance can’t help but think he said something, maybe offended the man in some way or form. But curiosity keeps eating him away.

“Wait a T” He motions with his hands, drawing the gesture “You did know about it!” 

“The guy wasn’t subtle” The Galra tries to give a nonchalant shrug but it falls short. He tries to play it off, careless and uninterested, but that same anger lingers “Never took his eyes off of you when you entered a room”

“Eh?!” Lance can’t think of anything else to say, mind scrambling to all those meetings and outings he attended to back at the Garrison. Kinkade was there most of the time, always quiet and stoic as ever, but sweet and charismatic. And well, if he pieced the clues all together it could make sense. 

Kinkade wasn’t the type of guy to beat around the bush or talk to you out of courtesy. If he liked you he would talk and that’s that. And well Lance only thought he liked him for his sharpshooting skills and his fame for being a paladin of Voltron. But, well those invitations to the cafeteria, to the training grounds and even to the marketplace don’t seem like a typical Ryan Kinkade behaviour now that he thinks about it. 

“ _Ay no_ ” Lance groans, feeling utterly ashamed now “ _Ay no!_ I broke his heart! I broke his poor heart Keith”

The man in question barely moves, shoulders drawn back and silently fuming next to him. This was also not typical Keith behavior but Lance’s head keeps replaying all his past interactions with Kinkade.

“He asked me out like three times” He mutters under his breath, guilt eating away at his words. Keith’s shoulders stiffen, but Lance continues talking, “That I can think of at least! _Ay Jesucristo!_ That’s why Rizavi and Griffin kept pairing us up for the simulations with the kids” 

“What?”

“He was appointed a flying instructor at the Garrison after the war” Lance pouts, crossing his arms, “He was the one assigned to my class and Rizavi kept pushing us together many, many times”

“Hmmm”

Lance turns at the lack of response, his pout deepening at Keith’s far away look. 

“Are you okay?” He tentatively asks, hands slowly inching towards the man but hesitating almost instantly. Keith heaves out a sigh and then turns.

“How long?”

“How long what?” Lance blinks and tries searching for something other than that dark look settling over those indigo eyes. Slowly he can make sense of that nasty feeling brewing inside Keith but he doesn’t want to push it. 

“How long has-” Keith gestures widely with his hands “ _that_ been going on”

“Ummm I mean it was a long time ago” He muses, really thinking about it “It was when I first started as a teacher, but it stopped soon after. Mmm if I could say, maybe when you returned from that Blade Mission to the Balmera? When Veronica went with you guys?”

“Yeah?” Something unfurls inside Keith it seems, shoulders still tense but a heavy sigh coming right after. Lance is suspicious, almost sure now but still hesitant. 

“I’m pretty sure. Last I heard he and Griffin were getting pretty cozy” He snickers. Keith still has that faraway look and then just because Lance’s a little shit he adds, “There’s no need to be jealous _darling_. I only have eyes for you.”

Lance blushes at his own words but keeps the smile intact, trying to gauge Keith’s reaction. At the lack of response, regret swells up and he wants to launch himself into space. That is until a strong pair of arms pull him close and crowd him against the nearest wall. 

“Eh?! Kei-?!”

“You talk too much”

Keith looms before him, holding onto his waist, chests touching one another. Lance can feel both his heartbeat and Keith’s synching with each other, pulse quickening and all too loud in the small storage room. They are mere inches apart, noses almost brushing and breaths mingling against the other. The suit’s too hot on him, and Lance can hardly breathe.

Carefully he settles his palms over Keith’s shoulders, and slowly looks up at him. The Galra is already staring back, transfixed and never straying away from his eyes. It’s a second where Lance recognizes those indigo eyes dropping down to watch his lips. 

“ _Keith_ ” Lance whispers, shaking out the syllables against the silence.

  
  
  


With a soft curse, Keith plunges down. Lance is pressed tightly against the wall and the man’s body, arms bringing him closer. He shivers just as Keith noses his way down and down towards his neck. Lance feels the man’s hands roaming over his waist and carefully settling over the swell of his ass, slightly squeezing.

It’s too hazy to make out anything. The suit is too tight, too hot against his skin as Keith presses sweet kisses over his jaw and down his neck. Lance can’t keep quiet, breathy sighs escaping every time rough hands explore his ass and legs. 

“K-Keith” With shaking fingers he tangles his own hands into the mess of dark locks, wanting nothing more than to kiss back. To pleasure Keith further.

“I wanted to touch you ever since I saw you in this uniform,” Keith whispers, giving him another kiss right over his jaw. Lance shudders, legs almost buckling and sending them both to the floor. He stifles a yelp when Keith fully holds onto his ass, steady and secure “So beautiful. So, so, beautiful”

“S-so I-I look good?” Lance asks, heart beating right out of his chest. 

“Extremely good” A soft press of lips over by his throat makes him moan out loud “I didn’t know what to do with myself. Was tempted to lock you in my room so no one could look at you”

“Not even Ryan?” He can feel Keith’s jealousy flaring at the forceful drag of his hips down to him. Lance squirms in place, clinging onto the man’s shoulders with everything he has.

“Don’t talk about him” Keith growls, “You’re mine”

_Oh fuuuuuuck_

Lance moans louder, keening at the love bites Keith is leaving behind, but no, he doesn’t want that. He wants those lips crashing against his. _Make me yours_ , he thinks over and over again, trying to pull back with shaking hands.

Keith slowly peels back, cheeks aflame and blush reaching down his neck. His hair is a tangled mess, strands sticking out everywhere and soft pants leaving his lips. Lance finds himself looking up at them and he can feel those indigo eyes back on his.

Carefully he trails his hands upwards, over his shoulders, collarbones, throat and jaw. Keith shivers underneath his touch and Lance tries to bite down a smile. To think that his touch affects Keith’s this much. He stops at his cheeks, thumbs slowly caressing his rosy skin. The space between them is almost non-existent, breaths mingling with the other and noses almost brushing. 

_Do it_ , Lance thinks, _please do it_. 

“Lance?” Keith whispers.

“Kiss me”

Lance has no idea how he can sound so sure and when he’s standing next to an unknown abyss. He can see it stretch far and wide before him, an endless black hole waiting to drag him under, and pull him without mercy. He didn’t acknowledge what he had started with Keith. But he didn’t want to regret it. Any of it.

Keith stands still, eyes wide open and barely breathing. He can feel the man’s heartbeat beneath his skin, thrumming and erratic. Nothing like the Keith he knows. Nothing like sturdy Keith, leader Keith or impatient, hot-headed, mullet-brained Keith. This is all him, but at the same time, something entirely new. 

Something just for Lance.

“Kiss me Keith” Lance repeats, a shy smile poking over his lips “Please?”

And once again Keith does something completely like him. Slowly he inches closer and closer, their lips almost touching now and Lance feels his feet reaching the ground. With a tender touch, Keith cups his cheek and his eyes flicker over his lips and up to his eyes again. 

“Can I?” He whispers “Can I really kiss you?” 

“Y-” 

“ _Attention lovebirds!_ ”

Lance flinches back, head hitting right on the wall behind him at Ezor’s snickering voice booming across the hall. Keith instantly pulls back, eyes wide and face flushing a furious red as he turns away. 

_God fucking dammit._

“Planet Auster has been located and we’re ready to land!” Ezor continues, a teasing tone at the end of her voice, “Fifteen minutes tops to get to the planet’s surface. We’ve already contacted HQ and we’re in the clear!” 

“Do finish your business before coming here” Zethrid mutters as her girlfriend bursts into a fit of giggles. Lance feels red all over, a small squeal leaving his lips at the memory. He hides behind his hands, sliding all the way down to the floor. Maybe the spaceship will be kind enough to shoot him right into space.

“We’ll be waiting!” Ezor sings and then nothing. 

Silence wraps around them and Lance can only hear the thunder of his heart. He can’t look at Keith, he can’t bear it. _And we were so close_ , his head miserably thinks, _we were so fucking close._

He carefully peeks behind his fingers and sure enough, the man he’s in love with is standing still a few feet away from him, covering his face as well. Keith’s ears are still red, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the fluffy Galra ears made an appearance after this incident. Lance hears a string of curses leaving the man’s mouth, frustration lacing every word uttered. 

“Ke-Keith” He meekly speaks up, “Uh I- uh, we should-”

“Yeah, y-yeah” Keith's rough voice whispers before clearing his throat, “We, we should.”

Lance nods along, eyes trained on the floor, but still unmoving. Keith peels away from his hands and walks towards him, stretching out his hand. With shaking fingers, Lance takes it and now they’re back to where they started. 

Keith still looks embarrassed. Pale cheeks blushing and breath stuttering out of his lips but his eyes are trained on him. There’s a certain determination lingering behind them, something akin to a promise. Lance doesn’t know where he can find the courage to stare back at them. 

“I meant that.” He blurts out. Keith blinks and opens his mouth but Lance beats to him again “W-What I said before. I-I meant that.”

They’re still holding hands, fingers barely brushing against one another, but he can feel the small squeeze that Keith gives him in return. Lance keeps watching him, waiting for something, anything. Any sign, confirmation or validation for what happened. Because now, now he knows. 

He knows Keith was going to kiss him.

Knows that Keith still wants to kiss him. 

“I know.” Keith carefully takes his hands and drops a brief kiss over them. The uniform is a barrier between Lance’s skin and Keith’s lips, but he feels the flaming touch all the same. He can feel himself blushing all over again. 

There’s a faint smile edging at Keith’s mouth, a bit shaky and uncertain, but a relief surely edinging it on. 

“When-When we return” He says, “I’ll make it up to you.” 

Lance can feel his own lips biting back a smile, and shakily nods back.

“Okay.” 

Keith walks them out of that small storage room and leads them back into the cockpit, Lance trailing after him, hands still joined together.

* * *

“Turn around for me sweetie.” Lance commands the small child in front of him. The girl gives a curt nod, her small horns turning a hazy shade of blue before doing as told. Her orange scales were littered with small scars and scratches across her back, but nothing too worrying. 

“Okay sweetheart I’m going to apply a soothing cream on your back, there’s nothing to worry about, it’ll just help your skin heal better” The alien girl gives him another small nod and Lance smiles in return, “That’s the attitude princess! I’ll give you a small treat before leaving okay?”

The child relaxes even further, giving him a brief smile as Lance quickly gets to work, slowly spreading the cool green cream on the girl’s back. 

Landing on the planet Auster proved to be an easy feat for Acxa’s amazing pilot skills. They dodged trees, vines and floating waterfalls without a blink, leaving Lance looking in awe at the scenery stretching before them. The sky was an endless blue with small splotches of purple and pink here and there. Tiny islands floated across the atmosphere, waterfalls flowing with bright aquamarine water down into a looming abyss. Even after all of their journeys and seeing different planets, Lance felt smaller and smaller in the vast universe. 

The Danae tribe were clearly fit for marine environments. Scales decorated their skin from head to toe, some people with only one shade of blue or green and others with various tones and gradients. Large horns adorned their foreheads, the two situated right above their eyes, and their length and sturdiness resembled their age and status inside the colony.

The moment their group stepped out of the small spaceship they were greeted by the whole community, applause and cheers echoing through the air. Lance easily slipped into his charmful persona, waving and whistling along with Ezor. Similar to back in the Voltron days. 

The leader of the tribe, an elderly woman with bright orange scales walked over and greeted them with enthusiasm. She accepted Keith’s hand without any protest whatsoever, even pulling the taller man into a deep bear hug. Everyone soon got to work after that, pushing and carrying crate after crate to give out food, supplies and medical assistance. 

Lance quickly propped up a small tent right next to the ship, ushering in patient after patient and treating them with utmost care. All kinds of citizens came up, from overexcited children dropping by to welcome an ex-paladin of Voltron to countless of retired soldiers with missing limbs or still prouting injuries. 

That’s how the first day went. Time flew by as he treated them all, not even taking in account his own exhaustion and sleepiness. Lance hardly found a time to sleep before opening up another crate and prepping the new medicines for the next day. Acxa tried to goad him into coming back to the ship but instead she ended up helping him unload the last five crates. Keith found them asleep over a table in the morning. 

‘Close up the tent after noon’ He had commanded ‘I want you both asleep on the ship by then’

Lance could hardly protest that early, still clinging to the last remnants of sleep in his body, but now he can’t follow through with it. He had already lost count of how many people had passed through that flapping door, he treated them over and over. If more citizens came by requesting a check up he can’t brush them away because he’s a little tired. No sir, he’ll stay awake another day if it’s necessary. 

“All done princess!” He steps back, holding up a small round mirror for the girl to see “Now for the treatment, I’ll give you a small bag with this same ointment. You’ll have to apply it twice, after waking up and before going to sleep. If your skin becomes itchy after going in the water, this thing will help you as well. I’ll give you for a week’s worth, but with three days it should be fine”

Lance swiftly hands the girl a small metallic box with the series instructions and two containers with the green cream, along with a bag of candy hanging from the handle. The alien excitedly takes the box in her hands and peers up back at him.

“Oh the candy it’s a treat from me.” He smiles and the girl gives an excited yelp, grinning and repeatedly bowing in front of him. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you Blue Paladin!” 

“No need to thank me sweetheart” He pats her on the head, slightly ruffinling her scales, “Now go back to your mother and call the next person in will you?” 

“Yes, thank you!” 

The girl gives him another bow before running out of the tent with an excited yell. Lance giggles to himself, stretching out his arms and back once he’s alone. The joints pop at the movement, neck stiff and legs sore from all over. He sighs for a moment, maybe he can take a quick nap before the next patient comes over.

“Little Blue!” Ezor comes bustling into the small tent. Sweat clings to her skin, along with patches of mud and that weird blue liquid covering the surface of the planet, but a brilliant smile shines on her face, “We ran out of food vials. Do you have some in here?” 

“Uh, yeah, I think they’re in that bundle by the corner” Lance points in the direction as Ezor quickly follows through. He follows along and opens up the first crate. A dozen of orange and pink vials greet him along with some more scar-removal cream. Lance heaves up the small crate in his arms and hands it over to the awaiting girl’s arms. 

“How many do you need? I still have another four if you guys need more”

“Give me at least another two.” Ezor sighs, easily adjusting the small box on her hips, “Their harvest didn’t go as planned and they’re having a shortage of food as well. And as members of the Blade we have to make sure we give them everything they need” 

“Roger that.” He smiles and stacks up the other two crates, “Let me add a bit of juniberry mix to them. I used it back on my farm and it worked wonders on my mom’s tomatoes.” 

He neatly places the boxes over by his small desk and pats over the small bags attached to his uniform. Nothing there. With a small pout he reaches out inside his bag, different candies spilling everywhere as he continues to search for the vials.

“So how are you liking the mission so far?” Ezor innocently asks, but oh Lance knows better. He frowns and yes it’s that look over her eyes. The one that’ll make you spill every single secret with just a couple of words. 

“It’s been... _okay_ ” Lance replies, his fingers finally latching onto the small flasks with pink dust and takes out six of them, “It takes me back to when Coran was teaching me and Acxa the basics. But it’s actually completely different from treating humans to foreign alien species” 

“You get used to it after a few times” She smiles but presses on, “How’s everything back in your little school? Is Black still running the whole thing?”

“His name is Shiro.” He swiftly places two vials in each of the crates and takes out his small notepad and a pencil, “And yes, he’s the Commanding Officer at the Garrison along with his fianceé Adam.” 

“Oh yeah, yeah I forgot about him.” Lance scribbles down a set of instructions for the flasks as Ezor continues, “So what, they're finally going to ‘ _tie the knot?_ ’ That’s how you earthlings say it right?”

“If Shiro doesn’t get kidnapped by aliens again then yes. The wedding is five months away, but well they already look like a married couple to me.”

“Hm? How so?” 

Lance finally turns to look at her, frown deepening on his face. Was she going somewhere with this? Ezor simply continues to look at him and even strolls over to his chair and plops down on it, the same inviting smile playing at her lips. 

“Well, um-m,” He scrunches up the set of instructions at trying to find the words. Lance bits back a curse before drawing back a small piece of string “They were already together before everything blew up. It’s true that they had broken up and everything, but I’m sure that if Shiro had come back unscathed, they would’ve patched things up sooner or later. They were _that_ in love.”

The string draws a neat bow as he attaches the instructions to each of the vials, and he softly closes them. Leaning back he smiles to himself. To him it was obvious both Shiro and Adam were meant for each other. They way they both called out for the other the moment they landed on Earth; how tightly they had embraced that summer’s day; the fact that neither of them wanted to be separated from the other from that point on.

“They were separated for years,” He murmurs, standing up from his place and leaning back against the desk, “But their love persisted even through all of that.”

The memory of Shiro instantly running at Adam’s call still vibrates inside his heart and leaves him dizzy with want. 

“They’re made for each other. Flaws and all.” 

A deep ache resounds in his chest at the words. A love so pure and whole is hard to find. Shiro and Adam compliment each other and work for their love with every living breath, years and years of it are solid proof. Lance finds himself aching for that kind of love. 

Though a lingering thought has him hoping that he already found it.

“What’s wrong?” Ezor whispers. 

“I...” He struggles with the words, a certain mullet worming his way like a tide. The wave picks up all again and his face is burning, “I just- I don’t know” 

“Hm. You’re very insecure about this huh?” She chuckles as Lance turns to her, nose scrunching in doubt. Ezor fully laughs now, “You got nothing to worry about Little Blue.”

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” 

“It means you should trust our leader.” The girl gives him a wink before adding, “It shouldn’t be long with the way you guys are acting.” 

“Wha-?” Lance gapes and Ezor is already walking out of the tent, crates in hand, “What’s that supposed to mean?! How do we _‘act’_?! Ezor come back here!” 

“Nope!” She singsongs and before he can question her further, a shrill scream pierces the atmosphere. 

They spring into action right away, running out of the tent and into the clearing along with the rest of the natives. Ezor dumps the crates somewhere and instantly takes a defensive pose, Lance following suit and taking out his small hand-gun. 

He looks around and everything looks completely normal. It’s calm, not a single other shout, the ground’s not shaking and the sky is still clear. He tightens his hold on the gun, heart thrumming and eyes still darting across their surroundings. A small cluster of people is gathered right by the center.

“Help!” A woman cries out, “Help! Get the doctor, someone! She collapsed!”

“Coming through!” He announces and enters the circle of citizens. The crowd of aliens part at the sight of him and his eyes widen at the scene. Two native girls are holding onto a set of small boxes, panicked and clearly distressed as a man is holding onto Acxa’s body. 

“She just fainted!” He says, looking right back at him, “Dropped down!”

“Step back please.” Lance kneels right next to Acxa. The family of three move back and he gets to work. He takes her wrist in hand, and yes there’s still one, along with a steady breathing. But, Acxa doesn’t stir or move in the slightest. 

He moves over and tries to loosen up the tight material of their uniform but to no avail, it continues to stick like a second skin. Cursing he grips the hem and pulls. There’s a tear of fabric and it’s enough to rip apart the collar of the suit. Lance scooches over and hooks his arm under both of her legs. He slowly pushes them upwards, supporting them over his shoulder. 

“Everyone please stand back!” He commands as the Galra slowly starts stirring back to life, “Please she needs space to breathe!”

The aliens scuff out of their way, muttering and chatting among themselves. He looks back and Acxa peeks her eyes open. Lance breathes in relief and pushes her back down to solid ground when she tries sitting up. 

“Slow down,” He places one of his hands over her stomach, still holding her legs up, “If you go too fast, you might faint again.”

“What-ah?” She says between breaths, eyes slipping open and closed. Lance frowns and slowly lowers her legs back down and crawls next to her. She looks paler, the usual blue hue glowing from her skin long gone and eyes hazy, unfocused and spinning all around.

“You fainted,” Lance touches her forehead and pulls back with a hiss. His palm burns at the touch, “And you definitely have a fever.”

He quickly checks her over once more, looking for any other visible symptoms or injuries. Acxa doesn’t fight it, letting out a small hiss as she tries opening her eyes again. Lance bites down on his lip as he checks once more, but comes up with nothing. He turns and Zethrid and Ezor are standing right beside them.

“Is she alright?” Ezor asks, eyes still darting around the clearing, weapon ready. 

“She’s just regaining consciousness,” He explains, “She wasn’t attacked by anything, her vitals are slowly coming back but she has a high fever running.”

“How’s that possible?” Zethrid butts in, face twisted in anger, “She was just fine when w-we-”

A tremendous sneeze vibrates through the air and the alien shakes along with it. Her ears flutter and her fur stands on end, making her look like a puffed out kitten. Lance only stares with wide eyes, mind still reeling in from what just happened. _Oh no, no, no don’t tell me-_

“She piloted the ship just-” Another one, “-Just fine and-”

Zethrid’s words were drowned out by her endless sneezes, her body shaking with a mighty force with each one of them. He tries reaching out but the girl recoils, sneezing even louder than before.

“Are you okay pumpkin?” Ezor interjects, softly touching her girlfriend’s shoulder but the sneezes were endless.

“I-” The alien roars in fury, “I-They won’t stop!” 

“What?” Lance motions for her, “Come down here will you?”

Ezor helps her kneel right in front of him. Lance gives Acxa one last look, before turning to Zethrid and looks for any anomalies on her body. Not a single scratch or injury on her body, her form intact as when they had left the Garrison. The only constant where the sneezes, each one way more frequent than before. 

“Stop it!” She roars but then another sneeze. 

“Calm down sweetie” Ezor steps in and- 

“I-” Sneeze “-am-” Sneeze “- _calm!_ ” 

“Ezor stand back! Zethrid are you allergic to something by any chance?” Lance asks, still checking her over, “Like a certain fruit, nut, environment, material? Anything in particular?” 

“No!” Ezor responds for her, “No she’s perfect in her health, never had any signs of allergy to anything!” 

“Are you sure? Is her species allergic to-”

But before he can finish his sentence, right on Ezor’s hand, a blue patch of skin appears. Lance blinks, and then again, just to make sure it’s there and he’s not seeing Zethrid’s fur spreading over her girlfriend’s scaly orange body. And just like the first one another two dots appear. 

“Ezor. Ezor, listen to me. Stay calm, but...” Lance starts, gulping down as he takes one of her hands in his. She frowns, looks down and there’s a second of silence before a screech pierces the sky. Lance tries, he really tries to sound as calm as possible, but he can’t make sense of anything, “Does your skin normally do that?”

“No, no, no!” She says, “What’s this?!” 

“Okay, okay, breathe.” He suggests, trying to mimic a breathing exercise for her. Ezor follows along but her eyes keep darting back down to her splotchy skin. Lance can’t even follow the breathing properly, his own head racking for answers. Was there a disease spreading? Were the civilians all right? “Do you feel queasy, dizzy or without breath?” 

“No! No, I feel fine! Completely fine!” She cries, snatching her hand away and throwing all caution out the window. Ezor scratches at her skin, willing the marks to go away but it only fuels the blue dots even more. They soon start popping up from her legs, to her arms and then face.

“Okay, okay, stop touching yourself!” He orders, slapping her hands away from her face. Ezor looks close to tears, “This thing is spreading through touch apparently, if you continue you might end up with blue skin.”

“Oh no, no, no!” She tries shaking her arms away, as if to cast away that nasty condition.

“Are you allergic to something?” Lance asks, furiously racking his brain for anything on allergies, specifically on Galra. Coran’s voice appears on the back of his mind, reciting antidotes, ingredients and everything that could make a full grown Galra break down in allergy. _But none of these are here!_ “Same questions with Zethrid!”

“No, she’s-” The woman in question sneezes and Ezor whimpers by her side, “-same as me.” 

Lance grumbles, turning to Acxa. She’s still lying down, eyes closed and a small grimace over her face. The girl looks even paler, her skin close to white. He touches her forehead again and the pads of his fingers singing at the close contact. Something was messing them up, playing with their immune systems and leaving them with clear symptoms of allergies.

_But if that’s the case then-_

“Where’s Keith?”

He snaps his head to Zethrid, something gnawing at his chest in full force now. His breath shortens, heart races and he wills himself to breathe. 

“He was checking up the wilted crops with some refugees,” The girl says between sneezes, struggling to breathe as Ezor holds her up, “They didn’t go far.” 

“Did he look unwell? Dizzy, feverish or anything similar?” 

Zethrid doesn’t respond, the look in her eyes serving as an affirmation. Lance turns away and hastily scans the crowd of people around them. A sea of brightly colored scales is the only thing that greets him. There’s not a single strand of black hair, a flash of indigo eyes or that pale skin. Nothing. 

_He’s fine,_ he thinks, hands shaking as he turns back to Acxa, _He’s Keith, he quickly gets out of trouble-_

_What if he passed out?_ The worry pipes up, _What is there’s no one around to help him? What if he’s already dying? What are you going to do then?What-_

_He’s fine, he’s fine, he’s fine._

“He was uh-” Zethrid struggles with her words, even more so than when she was sneezing. The tone in her voice is what makes him look back at her, “-I think he was off.” 

“Off?” The word breaks in his voice.

_Where are you? Please, where are you?_

“Distracted, a bit sluggish in his movements.” The alien continues to sneeze, rendered speechless. Acxa furrows deeper and deeper into Lance’s side and he takes her hands into his. His whole body is shaking.

“Calm down, calm down.” He whispers and he’s not sure if they’re to appease her or him.

“Everything spins.” The girl huffs out, short breaths leaving her lips and straining to even keep her eyes open. 

“Lance don’t you have an antidote for all of- _all of this_?” Ezor demands desperately, kneeling next to him, the blue color seeping deep into her face and leaving behind only a few splotches of orange.

“We used every medicine for the civilians. There’s nothing left,” He bites down on his lip and gulps down his own gnawing worry, “I could try to make something if I find some ingredients here, but it’ll take hours. Besides I’m not even sure what’s causing you to spring up these allergies.”

He tries searching once more for Coran’s voice deep inside his memory. Anything concerning the Galra immune system, but stray words pop up. Once again, nothing new springs up in his mind. Lance swears under his breath and hastily scans the area once again.

It has to be something on the planet, something here is causing this. Whether it was in the atmosphere, the air, grass or oxygen. Neither one of them had any previous signs of being allergic on their journey here, no symptoms of feeling unwell during the flight. But it’s been two days since then, did the allergies work on them that slowly?

“The report on the planet” He turns to Acxa as gently as possible, “Did it say something about being occupied by the Galra before? Or anything unnatural in their atmosphere?”

“It-it hadn’t been occupied.” The girl says between labored breaths, giving his hand a squeeze, “Something about a chemical messing up their ships.” 

Bullshit, they must’ve landed on the planet and everyone got infected or something within the first days. 

Lance rapidly checks himself over, touching up his forehead, looking for any splotches of color on his skin, but he looks fine. He feels completely okay, no dizziness or shortness of breath. Nothing out of place, save for the tremendous worry eating at his chest.

_So it only affects Galra DNA._

“Fuck” He whispers and gulps. Lance breathes in and out before speaking, “I need to get you back on the ship. I’m not 100% sure what’s causing your condition, but if we stay here any longer I’m worried your symptoms will only get worse.”

“But-” Ezor moves in front of him and she almost topples to the floor. Zethrid swiftly catches her, face growing more worried by the second, “Wha-What about the mission?” 

“All of you lot are obsessed with missions.” Lance snaps back. He gives a gentle squeeze to Acxa’s hands and as carefully as possible, manages to sit her up. The girl sways instantly and Lance hugs her from behind, making her lean over his chest. “Your conditions are getting worse, we won’t be of much help here like this.” 

“But we still need to help them out with the harvest-”

Lance can’t fight back the retort and as his mouth snaps open-

“ _Lance!_ ”

He’s already turning, panic fizzing out and relief flooding his every vein. 

“ _Keith!_ ” Lance calls back, a feeble smile making way over his lips. He could cry in relief at the very sight of Keith appearing in the middle of the crowd of colorful aliens. His eyes try to scan for any symptoms or injuries but Keith is next to him in three strides.

“Are you all right?” He rasps out, already kneeling in front of Lance. The Galra looks out of breath, chest heaving with exertion and sweat clinging to his skin. Relief still swallows him whole, unable to part his eyes away from the man just a few inches away from him. Keith manages to speak again, “I was over by the flower fields and I heard screaming.”

Lance opens his mouth to respond, but Keith is already taking his face in his hands and checking him over.

“I-I’m fine Keith! Nothing’s wrong with me!” Lance bats his tender hands away and continues, “Acxa fainted a couple of minutes ago and she has a high fever running. Zethrid and Ezor are showing clear signs of some sort of allergy, but as you can see different symptoms each. I’ve-I’ve tried thinking what’s causing these things, and I think it might be the planet’s atmosphere.” 

“We should abort and go back to base,” Keith declares, and scooches forward to scoop Acxa into his arms. Lance moves away, carefully passing over the girl to him, “We don’t have enough resources to treat ourselves and the longer we stay here, the longer any of them can get affected”

“Wait” Lance pipes up just as Keith slings Acxa’s arm over his shoulder. He crawls closer to the man, eyes quickly racking his body for any harm, bruise or any sign of an allergy. So far he seems fine. He places his hand over the man’s forehead and instantly recoils back.

“You’re burning up!” 

Keith instead of saying anything, keeps his eyes locked onto Lance. There’s a faint spark of gold trailing over his iris and Lance scooches closer. He sees it again and as he opens his mouth, his gaze trails down to the man’s neck. Purple splotches appear right over the hem of the suit, slowly trailing up and up. 

“Your skin!” He exclaims as the splotches continue to dance across Keith’s neck, “You’re transforming!”

“What?”

“You’re getting the allergies too!” Lance says, “C’mon we have to get you to the ship as well!”

Keith stands up with the help of Lance, Acxa clinging to him, face set in a grimace. Lance spares her a long look before helping both Zethrid and Ezor stand up from their crouching position. The couple supports their bodies together as he leads them back towards the end of the clearing, where their shop was resting. 

“Is there anything we can do to help you Blue Paladin?” A young alien pipes up from the crowd. He turns back to look at the rest of the Danae tribe and smiles.

“No thank you very much, you’ve all been very kind to us the past two days,” Lance parts from his team to talk to the rest of the residents. They all huddle around him before he speaks up again, “I’m sorry but we’ll have to abort the mission as of now, my teammates all present various symptoms of allergies and I can’t endanger their health any further. There’s still some crates with medicine and food over by my tent, please feel free to use them and take everything you need.”

The aliens all murmur among themselves, concern clear on their faces. Some of them hold up their hands to the sky, whispering a series of sentences to themselves. Lance turns to the young woman once more.

“Someone come with me so I can tell you all about the medicines.” Lance doesn’t wait for the volunteer and runs right over to the tent. He quickly grabs his discarded bag and some essential vials from the spare crates. He ignores his shaking hands and turns back to the entrance. 

A young alien boy joins him on the tent, and Lance doesn’t beat around the bush. Immediately he explains every single content on the crate and what they should be used for. The alien bobbles his head in agreement, and Lance hopes he is remembering everything he is telling him. Once he’s done, he dashes right back out and with a hasty bow towards the tribe’s elders he climbs up the ladder of the spaceship.

Lance runs towards the cockpit, Zethrid and Ezor already settled down in the co-pilot chairs. He doesn’t have time to look them over again as he instantly powers up the ship’s engines. It roars back to life immediately, the main console lighting up in a sea of colors. Lance settles down on the pilot’s seat, fingers flying over the dashboard and types in the coordinates back to Earth. The ship hovers for a moment, before soaring across the pink sky and right into the sea of stars.

“Okay I’ve already programmed the flight back to the Garrison,” Lance stands on shaky legs, still regaining his breath as he turns back to Zethrid and Ezor, “Where’s Keith and Acxa?”

“Med-bay” Ezor answers, the blue of her skin already slowing down. Lance silently nods and approaches the two of them respectively. 

“Your skin is already turning back to normal” He notes, scanning her face again and a breath of relief leaves his lips. “Try the junyberry salve, maybe it’ll quicken the process. Any other symptoms?” At the shake of her head, he turns back to her girlfriend.

“No need to look me over,” Zethrid growls, her sneezing mostly bearable by now, “You should check the other two”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Wait Lance!” Ezor shouts as the doors out into the hallway hiss open. Lance turns, feet aching to race down the corridor and find Keith. But the anxious look in the alien’s eyes makes him still. 

The girl turns from him to Zethrid back to him in a flash. Eyes darting over the floor and hands tapping over her chair. She looks nauseous, and he’s about to ask again about her symptoms but she cuts him off.

“You should help Keith back into his room.”

“ _Ezor-_ ” Zethrid growls, a tone he had never heard being directed at her girlfriend.

“No, I’m serious,” She retorts, “His condition is different than ours.”

“Different?” Lance tries to keep his composure, the relief that had filled him already leaking out, “What do you mean different?”

“You’ll see” Ezor tries giving him a reassuring smile that ends up being a grimace, “But either he’ll want to be with you or alone for the next four days”

“Four days?!”

“Just go!” Zethrid yells back, giving Ezor one last glare and that seems to shut her up.

Lance wants to ask further, but he figures they probably won’t tell him anything else. He risks another look before turning and dashing down the hallway, only one destination in mind. 

Every hallway he passes is a blur, feet propelling him forward to continue searching. His heart is at his fucking throat, he can feel it beat faster, stomach churning at every single scneario passing through his head. 

He needs to see Keith. He needs to make sure he’s okay regardless of what the other two said. His symptoms were in a way similar to Ezor’s but something in the range of normal. He was transforming into Galra, totally normal to when he’s embarrassed, aroused or scared. But now? Not a single thing about that planet fits the theory! _Maybe because he’s half-human?_

Lance turns around the corner and his stomach drops. Keith is barely standing, body slumped over the wall, visibly panting and dropping further into the floor. 

“Keith!” His voice breaks as he rushes to Keith’s side. At the shout, the Galra slumps further against the wall, knees almost buckling underneath his weight. Lance gently take’s Keith’s face between his hands. He sees the purple splotches taking over his pale skin, face flushed and hair clinging to his forehead. 

“Keith? Keith what’s wrong?” He whispers, and before he can speak further the man in question slumps right into his arms. Lance yelps, holding onto his arms as to not topple to the floor with the sudden weight over him. Keith’s eyes maintain half-open, golden irises greeting him back. He can see the Galra ears peeking their way out of his skull. 

“Keith?” He tries again, hope clinging to his words. Keith leans further into the hold, crowding Lance against the wall. Yelping he tries to hold on, his own feet slipping on the ground, a furious blush painting his cheeks. 

A purr begins to echo across the hall, making him still and look around. The hall is deserted aside from the two of them, no creature inside the ship. Lance frowns, mouth opening but then he closes it. The purr is right over his left ear. He turns and sees Keith’s face right where the sound is coming from.

“You’re purring” He whispers, eyes wide as plates as the Galra furrows deeper into their embrace. Lance yelps, fully supporting himself against the wall as he feels the ghost of Keith’s slips over his neck, arms finding purchase over his waist. He lets out a small yelp, fighting between returning the embrace or pulling away all together. 

“Keith? Keith, you with me buddy?” Lance chooses the later, hands gently pulling out of their embrace, eyes roaming across the heaving man’s face. Keith in response only holds on tighter, the purr replaced by a soft growl, almost something akin to a whine. The worry is eating him up at the sound, unable to think or come up with a solution. He doesn't want to hear that sound from Keith ever again.

“D’not call me thatt” Keith’s rough voice slurs against his skin, sending shivers down his spine, “The ot’er one”

“What?” He asks, hands slowly resting over the man’s neck and rubbing the purple skin. His fever was still running, the surface hot to the touch. Lance bites down a hiss, eyes darting around the corridor. Maybe he can get him in a shower to cool down.

“Caall mee the ot’er one”

“What other one?”

“ _Darling_ ”

“Eh?!” His face reddens even further, hands struggling to pull away from Keith’s roaming lips and feet slipping down the floor, their only support now being the wall. Rough hands trail over his back and hips and Lance shudders at the touch. The uniform is starting to feel a bit too tight now. He needs to breathe,“Keith what-”

“Lance get away from him!” 

Acxa appears at the end of the hall, barely standing and face flushed. She’s holding up a blaster and pointing it straight at Keith. Lance opens his mouth to ask, trying once again to part away from Keith and check up on her, but the grip on his waist tightens. 

“Keith?” 

It’s as if Keith regions his whole strain in one fell swoop. He presses Lance against his body and further into the wall, leaving him no room to breathe. With shaking hands he tries pulling back, gaze now stuck on the Galra before him. The hold is possessive and forced, something so unnatural and nothing like the Keith he knows. His worry only grows and grows at the sight.

Keith isn’t looking at him, golden slits looking back at Acxa with the same hatred as when they were fighting Honerva. _This isn’t him_ , his mind screams, _It’s wrong, this is so wrong_. The soft Galran ears are straight up, rigid and with a twinge of nervousness lingering behind. A loud growl escapes Keith’s lips, his fangs slowly coming on full force.

Acxa doesn’t even bat an eye, the hold on the blaster steady and sure. But Lance still doesn't understand, why is she pointing it at Keith? This wasn't like any allergies or symptoms of a fever? What is this? His hands shake over Keith’s shoulders and as in response the Galra presses him closer to his body.

Lance is being crushed, unable to get oxygen in his lungs with this close proximity. Black spots dance behind his eyelids and his grip grows slack against the man. Acxa’s warnings and threats sound so far away, those foul growls filling his ears with every breathless second. 

It has never been like this. Lance has witnessed Keith’s full transformation, he’s seen it and felt it before; his fluffy ears popping suddenly over his dark hair; eyes flashing golden for a full minute and, soft growls emanating from his throat in their lust filled nights. 

But this is animalistic, inconsiderate and very different from the Keith he knows and loves. 

“Keith?” His voice is raspy and rough, air getting harder and harder to inhale, “Keith, darling-”

“Keith you have to part from Lance.” Acxa stands straighter, blaster still locked onto the growling Galra, “You made me promise that if it’ll ever come to this that you would let Lance choose.”

The growls turn louder, echoing across the hallway until a low howl of pain mixes in. Lance’s frenzied eyes turn at the sound, heart squeezing in his chest. That sound came from Keith, he knows it. His hands trail up to the man’s cheeks and there’s barely a flicker of Keith’s gaze upon him.

Pain, anguish and want is filled in just one second.

“Don’t make me use this!” Acxa threatens again, and Lance wants to shout. He tries opening his mouth but no sound comes out, he needs to breathe, he needs oxygen-

“N-No.” He says with labored breaths “Don’t-t shoot him, please.”

Acxa spares him a brief look but continues to point the gun. Keith growls once more, and Lance can’t feel him anymore.

“K-Keith” He whispers, “Keith, darling, plea-please I can’t breathe.”

The support goes away and the oxygen rushes in. Lance tumbles to the floor, coughing up as he takes mouthfuls of air. His eyes are hazy, unfocused and his body shakes with every gasp his mouth takes. Even then his eyes search for Keith.

Acxa’s shouting in the background and he can’t understand her rushed words. Lance blinks, lights way too bright in the hall. With a shaking hand, he finds the wall and slowly he comes to it, chest heaving and looking back up. 

Keith is standing a few feet away from him, breath ragged and that familiar indigo swimming back into his eyes. Lance can finally take it all in, his full transformation, every bit and piece that he knows about the man. 

But he’s hunched, shivering and scared in front of him. Lance tries crawling closer but Keith tumbles back. 

“What’s-what’s happening to him?” He asks, voice still raspy, but gaze stuck on Keith. 

The Galra looks scandalized, ears low in his head, as if ashamed of himself. Lance tries coming closer but something settles in Keith’s eyes. He sees the flicker of gold in his irises once again and he dashes in a blur of purple, just as Lance shouts,“No! Keith!”

“Let him go!” Acxa is right there next to him, pushing him back down to the floor as he tries to stand, “He needs to be alone.”

“I can’t leave him alone like that!” He cries, slapping her hands away, “He must’ve caught something down on the planet! He’s worse than all of you!”

“Those are not allergies.” She says with a finality in her tone, but Lance keeps fighting. With a firm hand she stops his squirming, glaring right back at him, “He’s going to lock himself in his room. We mustn’t disturb him, at least not for now.”

“But he’s ill!”

“He’s not ill!” She barks back and at the defiant look she gets, she sighs, “I need to explain everything before you decide to go see him.”

Lance wants to protest but Acxa’s tone makes him falter. His mind still reels back to what happened, to Keith’s reactions and his animalistic behavior. He tires making a sense of it, maybe it _was_ an injury and they hadn’t seen it. But even then, Keith’s never had a full transformation thanks to one.

  
  


His eyes snap back to the end of the corridor, hoping that Keith would pop up and maybe just maybe admit that it was some silly joke. But he wouldn’t go that far, he’s not like that. Still, Lance bites down his lip. There’s an itch beneath his skin, something calling out to him, begging him to find Keith and comfort him. But, how can he help if he doesn't know what is even happening to him?

“Come, let’s go to the infirmary. I still need to lie down a bit” Acxa sighs, stepping away and standing up. She offers him a hand and he takes it. Lance wobbles, still trying to catch his breath as he follows after her, his eyes still looking back. 

The itch prods at his skin with every step he takes away from Keith, the distance increasing with every feeble step he takes. He can breathe normally for now, but his mind is stuck on the Galra, eyes darting back to the corridor once more.

Lance clasps his hands together, breathing in and out before continuing on his way. He needed to know what was going on before doing something stupid. Before doing something that could endanger Keith even further.

So with a heavy heart, Lance steps out of the hall gazing one final time to the empty corridor before following after Acxa. 

* * *

“Okay, okay, okay” Lance hides behind his palms, sprawling all over the chair, and tries to think. He doesn’t get far, “Jesus that’s a lot to take into”

“You needed to know” Acxa states, still lying on the infirmary bed arma attached to an IV. There’s a steady beat echoing in the room, her skin already returning to its usual shade of blue, “Keith would’ve sliced me open if I let you go after him in that state”

“He wouldn’t have.” He mutters, peers behind his fingers and deflates at the girl’s glare, “Fine! Okay I guess he would’ve been mad.”

“Mad is a nice way of putting it” She retorts.

“What I don’t get is...” Lance folds his arms, trying once again to get comfortable in the metal chair and failing, and hugs himself a bit tighter than needed, “Why didn’t he tell me?”

So in summary, Keith was in a rut.

Or from what Acxa explained to him, Keith was going through second puberty, a process perfectly normal in Galra around the ages of thirteen and up. The only gist was that well, Keith was now a twenty five year old man and he was Half-Galra. Thus second puberty. 

“I told you. Krolia suspected he would present within a year or two,” Acxa repeats, the urge to roll her eyes at him dripping from her voice, “The atmosphere in planet Auster might’ve triggered the process to come earlier than expected.”

“Still!” Lance pouts, the gnawing worry taking control once again at the thought of Keith holed up in his room. All alone, “I didn’t even know Galras presented or anything! Much less that they needed a mate for the whole thing!”

And while Lance was perfectly okay with the idea of spending an unknown amount of days with Keith locked up in a room together, he still wondered why the man didn’t bother to give him a simple heads up. An easy ‘ _Hey Lance you know I’m bound to transform into a sex fiend any time now and I want to spend those days with you. Cool, okay bye!_ ’ but no, he doesn’t even get that. 

“You know the answer to that,” Acxa replies, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Lance is about to open his mouth, but she beats him to it, “I’ll try to get us to Earth as soon as possible and once there, we’ll leave the ship alone so you can continue mating.”

“Acxa!” He shrieks standing up abruptly, “Don’t say it like that! You make us sound like we’re animals!”

“I’m sorry to break your bubble but Keith might not be able to contain himself if you go with him.” She continues on, “You have to be completely sure of what you’re signing up for.”

Lance grumbles under his breath, spanish making itself present through his words. Though he still had questions (because honestly what the fuck is even second puberty) the need to see Keith and ease his pain for just a little was winning inside of him. He doesn’t know what will happen once he crosses into that bedroom, but he knows he won’t leave the half-galra alone to suffer.

“He won’t hold it against you if you don’t go” The girl says, and Lance snaps his mouth shut, anger flaring up, “You’re not obligated-”

“I’m not leaving him alone!” He bites back, frowning and hands clenched at his sides, “There’s no way in hell I’m leaving him to suffer like that!”

“I know you care about him, but he wouldn’t want to-”

“Well it’s too late for what Keith would’ve wanted seeing as he didn’t talk things through with me!” Lance yells, unable to keep his anger at bay in front of the girl. Acxa sighs in response but he ignores the pointed look, “Look I already made up my mind and I’m going whether he wants it or not!”

“Lance-”

“No don’t ‘Lance’ me okay!” He turns and in three steps he’s at the infirmary’s entrance, “I’m going! Keith needs me and I’m going to help!”

“Lan-”

“No Acxa listen here!”

“I was just going to say that Keith is very lucky” 

“ _I_ -Eh?” He promptly shuts his mouth, eyes wide as he turns to her. Is a very rare thing to see Acxa smile, even less to see her laugh. Her eyes soften around the edges and her lips barely quirk up but there’s a joy and happiness clinging to that expression. And to see it directed at him is a very different thing. He’s only seen the gesture whenever Veronica is around. 

“You’re a good person” She says, with no margin of doub, “You shouldn’t keep him waiting then.”

Lance opens and closes his mouth for a few more seconds, but Acxa has already turned in bed, eyes closed.

“R-Right I-I uh” He stammers, “I’m gonna go then”

“Good luck.” She replies and Lance sprints out of the room.

His feet drag him out of the room and into the maze of corridors and locked doors inside the spaceship. Lance peers inside each of the rooms, finding them all empty, filled with crates, or weird glowy machinery. He grumbles and keeps going, racking his brain for the direction towards Keith’s room.

‘You turn left, then you’re there’ The man had said the first day and well Lance has turned left at least 13 times and not once has he come across his room. He tries on another door and this one doesn’t even open. 

“ _Ay por el amor de Dios_ ” Lance mutters then knocks once more and no reply. He huffs and turns to go away when a soft purr reaches his ears. He stops, then glances back at the door. 

Carefully he walks right back to the front, and squints at the door. It looks exactly the same as the other ones, nothing different in its design or anything. He presses his ear to the surface and holds in his breath. The purr starts again. 

“Keith?” Lance whispers, rapping the door once. There’s immediate silence from the other side of the door and nothing moves. He cruses and tries knocking again, “Keith, are you in there?”

There’s still no answer and Lance places his hand on the sensor pad right next to the door frame. The device flashes a bright red light, a dull buzzing sound coming right after it. He huffs and tries again. And again. And again.

“ _Ay no puede ser!_ Keith I know you’re in there!” He knocks louder this time, “Let me in! Please, I want to help you!”

Lance hears a slight _‘thump’_ from the other side of the door, but the pad still flashes red. He gnaws at his lips, immediately retrieving his hand from the device and placing his ear over the door’s surface. A few seconds pass and finally he hears another _‘thump’_

“Keith” He pleads, “Please, please let me inside. I can help you.”

“No” Keith’s rough voice reaches his ears, breathless and exhausted. Lance tried crowding closer to the door, wanting nothing more than to pass right through the barrier, “Not like this-s”

“Please, please don’t be stubborn. Acxa already told me everything, I know okay? Please, I want to help.”

“You-u wern’t supp’osed to find out” The Galra huffs, his voice breaking slightly between harsh breaths. Lance blinks back tears, hands shaking against the door as he tries the pad once more in vain.

“Well I did! It happened and there’s nothing you can do to stop it” He hears Keith’s growl, low and frustrated, but Lance keeps going, “What you can do is stop being so fucking stubborn and let me inside!”

“I-I can do itt by m’self”

“I don’t want you to. I want to help you. Please, I want to be there for you” Lance sniffs, trying to contain his desperate tears at bay. His voice cracks half way through and he has to pull back from the door. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he left Keith all alone like this, there’s no way. Rut or not, Lance can’t leave him like this. He tries the panel once more and it’s still fucking shut.

“Keith, please,” He pleads and pleads, the tears finally spilling down “Please let me in. I-I can’t let you go through this alone. Please let me help you!”

“Laahnce” 

“Please sweetheart, please-” Lance _begs_ , “For me? Please?”

Once more his palm touches the pad and _finally_ there’s a green light going off and the doors slowly hiss open. Lance rushes in, his left foot almost getting stuck between the opening doors. The moment he’s inside the doors shut after him, the lock echoing across the small bedroom.

Everything is dark, the stars barely illuminating the room. He can barely make out the bed and the walls around them. His nose is filled with the familiar scent of wood, mixed in with something more. Something warm and wild. 

His eyes faintly adjust to the dim light from the overheard window ceiling, the distant stars casting off a faint blue glow into the room. He recognizes the strewn bed at the far end corner along with it’s bedside table. On the left there’s the door to the bathroom, dark and most likely empty. He tries scanning the room, recognizing Keith’s possessions: his blade, clothing rumpled and all over the floor, and phone somewhere in the mess. But even then, he can’t see Keith. 

Lance carefully steps further into the room, eyes darting on every corner and crevice for that familiar face. He stretches out both hands, hoping to find purchase somewhere, but they come back empty. 

“Keith?” He asks, still looking around “Darling are you there?”

Soft fur reaches the tip of his fingers. Lance turns to the touch, feet dragging him closer to the contact. He trails his hands slowly up that familiar chest, resting them over the hiding man’s shoulders. He steps closer, warmth radiating from the body in front of him but he keeps rooted to the spot. Carefully he rubs at the patch of fur, right hand going up and up towards that mop of black hair. 

“Keith?” He asks again and then a soft purr echoes in the room. 

Lance startles at the warmth softly cupping his cheek. He melts into the hand, drooping a soft kiss on the palm. He doesn’t ask and throws himself against the man’s naked chest, hugging him with all of his might. Worry drains away at the touch and he falls deeper and deeper into the embrace. His heart drums at the same rhythm as Keith’s own.

Keith fully returns the touch, bringing Lance closer to his chest and nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. The purring turns into soft growls, sending shivers down Lance’s spine at every second that ticked by. 

“Lance” Keith’s voice is rough and hoarse, holding himself back from whatever was going on inside his head. He holds him tighter, “Fuck, Lance” 

“Shhh it’s okay, it’s okay” Lance sounds more confident than he feels, fingers drawing small circles over the Galra’s back. Keith growls again in response and slumps further into his touch. Lance almost topples down, managing to catch the man’s shoulders and finding support on the wall behind him. Keith shudders against him, seeking his touch and comfort more consistently now. Lance gladly gives it to him. 

“I’m here sweetheart” Lance combs Keith’s hair out of his eyes, his other hands trailing up and down his spine. The Galra trembles once again, soft moans passing down his lips as Lance continues with his small ministrations. 

Hearing Keith’s voice so close to him, Lance starts to get aroused immediately. The suit feels too tight around him, knees almost buckling under their weight. He takes a deep breath and continues his touches with precise fingers. Keith moans and drops light kisses all over his neck, skin sweaty and red by now.

“Wha-what do you need?” He stutters, dick fully aroused and ready for the night. 

“You” Keith whispers, “Just you”

“Then take me” Lance carefully takes the man’s head in his hands and pulls back a bit. Golden eyes greet him back, illuminating the dark silhouette in the room and that’s when he sees Keith’s full transformation. Ears perked up, tail swishing behind him and purple skin and fur all over his naked body. Before he can speak Keith pulls away “No wait, Keith-!”

“I-I keep messing thiss up-p” Keith pants, trying to draw back from the touch but Lance latches onto his wrists for dear life. The man swears but doesn’t tug, “This wasn’t-”

“I know” He exclaims, trying to step closer and cradle Keith’s face once more “I know you didn’t want it to be like this. But it happened! It already happened, don’t-”

“I wa-wanted to ask you out-t” 

Lance’s heart is drumming at his throat. He feels like throwing up, chest heaving and everything stopping around him. He can feel Keith’s wrists within his own hands and that’s the only thing he’s sure about.

“ Ever since the-the war ended. Wanted to take y’ou on a propr date. To the aquarium, the desert, fuck, wher’ever. I wanted to hold ur hand. I want’ed to kiss you” 

A beat and then-

“I _want_ to kiss you.”

His face is in flames. His heart is about to explode at this rate. He can’t seem to think, see or hear anything else. He can only see Keith. Keith’s golden downcast eyes and trembling body. And Lance pulls him back into that bone crushing embrace, eyes tearing up at the words as they play over and over again. 

Keith likes him. He really does like him. 

And I like him too.

“You can” He smiles, hoping, praying Keith can hear the relief in his voice, can feel the love from his own words, “You can kiss me all you want. Kiss me Keith, don’t hold back”

“I messed up, I-I can’t-”

“I’m in _love_ with you” 

Lance’s lips are already splitting in two from how wide he’s smiling. Keith stills under those words, golden irises instantly seeking him out. He gives the man’s wrists a slight squeeze before cupping up his face in one swift motion. 

“And I’ll prove it to you” And rising on his tiptoes Lance kisses him. 

He should’ve been kissing this man eons ago. From the day he first laid eyes upon him. Lance should’ve walked up, swallowed up his pride and kissed Keith with all that fervor and passion brewing inside of him all those years. Kissed him until their lips were red and swollen, when they forgot where one began and the other started, when nothing existed, just their touch. 

_Get me off this fucking uniform._

Keith freezes for a second before diving head first into the kiss. He pushes and pulls against Lance’s lips, the kiss growing frantic with each brush and bit. Lance feels on cloud nine, arms winded over the Galran’s neck as they kiss and kiss, never breaking apart to breathe. 

Lance’s back hits the wall behind him, but that doesn’t deter either one of them. Keith winds his arms around his waist, pulling at his uniform, as if trying to rip it off. Their lips move together in a tandem, touching and caressing each other as if they’ve always belonged together.

“You should’ve kissed me-” Lance breaks away, chest heaving and lips tingling, “-from the fucking start”

“Yeah” Keith breathes, eyes closed and already trailing after his mouth, “Get back here”

The Galra interlocks their lips, one hand firm around his waist and the other softly cradling his cheek. Lance moans against the ardent kiss, his own shaking hands tangling themselves into that beautiful dark mane. A clawed finger trails over his spine, leaving behind goosebumps as it goes up and up until it finds its destination. Keith’s hands take hold of the back zipper and in one move the Blade uniform sags over his elbows. 

“Let me-”

Lance doesn’t even manage to tug off the uniform as Keith latches onto his neck. Those sharp canines send shivers all over his body, making him tremble in anticipation as the Galra lavishes at his exposed neck. He bites down at his lips, cutting off any moan or whimper that might break through. As if on cue, Keith smirks against the touch and bites down.

“ _Aah!_ Oooh Keith” He moans at the touch, hands trembling as he tries to hold on. Keith kisses down on the mark, leaving another dark spot closer to his collarbone and making him lose control once again. 

His dick is hard against his legs, the uniform clearly denoting his own arousal. Lance’s cheeks darken at the sight of a small tent over the Blade suit and as Keith continues leaving love bites, he tugs the cloth away. A small stain is spreading over the front and before he can even get an arm out, the Galra stops him .

“Eh?” He squeaks, and as he tries to take the suit off once more, Keith clasps his wrists onto the wall. Lance blushes as he stares back at the man, his towering form coming closer and closer, grip tightening over his bound wrists, “Wait-t K-Keith! Let me-let me get this thing off!”

“I think I’ll tease you with it a bit longer,” Keith slides up his knee between Lance’s legs, rubbing against his leaking dick. Lance can’t contain his moans, the touch bringing him relief and arousal. _He wants more_ “Want you to cum like this.”

Keith captures his lips with another rough kiss, drowning away any complaint or excuse. Lance feels the pleasure building up, cum now dripping out of his dick and staining the uniform. Another touch sends him jerking away, breaking away from the kiss to moan. Keith’s naked hips rut against his own, their dicks rubbing each other through the cloth of the suit. 

His feet barely scrape the floor, Keith’s knee and hands keeping him upright against the wall. He moans through the kiss, drool slowly running down his lips as the Galra keeps the rough pace. Lance is at the complete mercy of this man, so fucking willing to go through with whatever he wants just in exchange for another kiss, another touch. 

“Kei-Keithh!” He whines, their mouths separating with a wet ‘pop’. Lance’s head snaps up, moaning once more as the pleasure continues to build, his peak rushing in fast, “I-I’m- _Ah!_ ” 

“B-Baby” Keith moans, seeking his lips once more. With another thrust, the man stills and then swears, cum pulsing out of his dick and into Lance’s uniform. Lance whines, twisting against Keith’s hold as he tries to rub his own leaking dick against anything at this point. But as soon as he feels his dick pulsing, the Galra is pulling away.

“ _N-No!_ Keith!” Lance calls desperately, squirming against the cold wall, his dick leaking more and more pre-cum into the suit, “No, no Keith! Please!”

Keith lets go of his wrists and quickly scoops Lance into his arms, chest against chest and hips slotting together. Twitching at the sensation Lance tries to pull back, the sweaty uniform still clinging onto his body, but Keith trails his hands over his chest. The Galra’s hand brushes against his dick and Lance can’t keep his moan inside. 

The man chuckles in response, hands darting up and quickly removing the messy suit. Lance goes willingly, his dick finally free of that confinement as he slips out of the tight cloth. He can feel it pulsing, hard and already on the verge of an orgasm. Lance tries to breathe, taking the uniform with shaking fingers to fold it, but Keith backs him up against the wall, hips rutting together once more. 

“Aaah! Unnh!” He moans, the cloth falling out of his grasp as he latches onto Keith’s muscular back. Feeling Keith’s bare dick against his own has him on the verge of an orgasm. It’s hard and leaking just like his, but it feels bigger than usual. ‘ _Put it in me_ ’ He begs, swaying his hips along with the man’s ‘ _Split me open_ ’

“Keithhh! _Oooh_ _Keith!_ ” 

“Ur so good to me, s’- _fuck_ -so fucking good”

Lance scratches Keith’s back, digging in his fingernails and roughing up his fur. The Galra growls against his ear and in a swift scoop he’s up in his arms. 

“Keith!” He yelps, hands darting up to his neck and shoulders as his legs dangle in each side of the man’s hips. Even in his sex-crazed state Keith chuckles in response, rubbing his cheeks against his collarbone, “H-Hey don’t laugh at me!”

It falls on deaf ears as Keith continues to laugh and starts peppering his neck with small nips and kisses. A few giggles escape his own mouth as Lance hides his face in Keith’s neck, trying to fight off an embarrassed smile. The Galra continues his small ministrations, hands slowly massaging his butt cheeks with effortless practice. 

Carefully Lance trails one of his hands up in that familiar mop of black hair, looking for the cutest Galra ears in existence. His fingertips find soft fur and he instantly coos at them, gently scratching at the man’s scalp. 

A purr emanates from the man holding him and Lance giggles even more, keeping his hands on those perky little ears. The twitch and flicker but Keith keeps nuzzling against his skin, content and relaxed.

“‘M so happy” Keith whispers next to his ear. Lance snorts and throws both arms around his neck, bringing the man closer to him. He locks his own legs against the Galra’s waist, earning a soft moan coming from the other man and then, “You make me so happy”

“You too” Lance murmurs, pulling his head back to seek those golden irises. Keith does the same, looking up from the crook of his neck and locking eyes with him. They are so close, noses brushing and breaths mingling with the other, and yet Lance can’t look away from Keith.

Joy, want and so much love pours out of those golden eyes. His heart drums in his chest and in a blink tears start gathering at the corner of his eyes. Lance sniffs, and gives Keith a watery smile. God he’s going to start crying out of happiness at this point. 

“I can’t imagine myself without you” He whispers back, a stray tear making its way down his cheek. 

Lance is not sure who moves first, meeting right in the middle for another kiss. Keith sighs the moments their lips touch the other and in turn deepens the kiss, slipping his tongue in. Lance combusts at the touch, cradling the man’s face as their mouths meet over and over again. With each swipe of his tongue the pleasure sparks up again inside his body, overtaking his senses.

Neither one of them breaks away, the kiss deepening with each second that ticks by. Lance moans between kisses, his hands growing frantic and roughly tugging at Keith’s hair with every touch. The Galra in turn growls, rising to his full height as he starts humping once more, their dicks gracing each other.

“ _Aaah!_ ” Lance whines, Keith stealing another rough kiss from him. He squirms against the man’s hold, legs slightly trembling as their hips meet once and twice and never stopping. Rough hands slid down closer and closer to his asshole, making him whine one more. 

“C’mon” Lance urges him desperately, tugging at his hair again, “C’mon, please, please Keith”

Instantly he feels one finger prodding at his hole, and Lance almost jumps out of the kiss. Something is out of place. He pulls one hand back, ignoring Keith’s rough growl and slips a finger in his ass. A hot thick liquid seeps out of his hole at the touch, and Lance stills as he looks down at the puddle by their feet. 

“What the fuck?” He says, and as easily as he slips a finger inside, he slips two and three, “What-?”

“Don’t care” Keith pants, wrenching Lance’s fingers out and replacing them with his own.

He screams, body trembling at the rough intrusion but he melts against the man’s embrace. ‘What the fuck, what the fuck’ his mind jostles for answers, but he pushes the rational side out of his head and kisses Keith once more, full on tongue. 

“Why-ah-Why am I-I leaking?” He whimpers as Keith’s thick fingers move in and out of him with practiced ease, stretching out his hole, making him spasm against the wall. 

Lance can’t see Keith’s dick, but he sure as hell feels it against his ass. It prods at the entrance with every push of those fingers, bigger and leaking at the tip. He moans at the anticipation, he needs it inside of him, he needs Keith inside-

“Secondary effects to the rut” Keith leaves a wet hickey over his shoulder, “You body is responding to my needs”

“Eh?!” He squeaks, trying to stifle his moans, “S-So this is your fault then?!”

Keith doesn’t bother responding and just shoves another finger up his ass. 

Lance moans, arms trembling as he holds on for dear life to the Galra’s broad shoulders. His own dick is dripping with pre-cum, ready to burst at any moment. He’s gonna cum at this point and Keith’s dick is nowhere inside of him. 

“J-Just sho- _oh!_ Shove it in! Please juuhst get inside me!”

His cheeks burn at the words tumbling out of his mouth, but god he feels that orgasm looming in the distance coming closer and closer. Lance whines as Keith marks up his neck with another bite, still fucking him with those amazing fingers. 

“I-If you don’t-t _ah!_ I’m gonna c-cum! _I’mm ‘onna cum!_ ” 

Keith stops instantly, slipping his fingers out of his asshole. Lance gasps as more slick pours out of his body, his hole clenching at nothing desperately. He pants and whines, legs kicking out as he looks down at the Galra. 

The man in question looks wrecked. Sweat clings to his body, hair matted down over his forehead and chest heaving with every breath. His Galra features are sharper now, clawed fingers making their appearance once again and tail swishing back and forth. Lust clings to his eyes, eating Lance up from head to toe. But then a flicker of worry slips by as Keith gazes at him.

“Are you-” He swallows, a flash of indigo overtaking his irises, “Are you still sure about this?”

“Keith I-”

“I-I don’t want to hurt you”

His heart gives a tight squeeze. 

“You won’t” He breathes, “I trust you with everything I have Keith”

Lance leans forward and kisses him. 

Keith inhales his scent, before diving further. The man kisses him with such fervor, so tenderly and so rough at the same time that it leaves Lance light-headed. He doesn’t feel anything else, but those lips against his own. 

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon” He urges, a string of saliva trailing after him as they part. Keith doesn’t last long and trails after Lance’s lips again, making them collide on the wall behind them, “I-I want you”

“Yeah, yeah, fuck, whatever you want” 

Keith’s dick is right under his rim, prodding at the entrance with a wet tip and Lance can’t help but moan at the feeling. His hands shake as he grips the man’s shoulders, a quiet growl echoing inside the room as they crowd closer against the wall. He whines and in a thrust Keith enters him.

“ _F-Fuck!_ ” 

Lance screams against Keith’s neck, frame trembling between him and the cold wall behind him. It’s bigger, oh bigger than before as it keeps going deep and deep inside him. It’s endless as that sweet pleasure keeps building up inside him. 

“ _Aah_ , Aaaah Baby” Keith hisses right next to his ear, hips trembling as he continues to push inside. It’s thick and so wet inside of him and Lance knows he won’t be able to walk for a week after this. 

“Yo-You’re so- _oh!_ Big” Lance moans, clutching with every ounce of strength left in his body to Keith. His legs tremble against the Galra’s hips, locking over his lower back and holding on. It’s still fucking going. 

Keith growls and with a forceful shove he’s all inside.

“ _Oh!_ Oooh, ah! _Keith!_ ”

“S-so fucking tight” The Galra growls, wasting no time in rearranging Lance’s insides. He goes hard and deep against his ass, pulling back the tip before plunging back inside with one stroke. Lance cries at the pace, tears stinging at his eyes and moan after moan is punched out of his throat. His ass clenches around Keith’s dick in an instant and the man keeps going, “So hot-t _ah!_ So hot around you- _Unngh!_ ”

He can’t even string words anymore. Lance can only cry and moan at the relentless pace, his breath catching against every thrust. The constant smack of their hips echoes across the room, shaking Lance to the very core along with the loud squelch of Keith’s dick fucking out the slick drenching his ass. He doesn’t have a voice to even complain. 

Lance clings to Keith like a koala, legs dangling on each side of his hips and arms trembling over his shoulders. He sobs the moment the Galra pushes against his prostate, his own dick spurting out more pre-cum between their chests. God he’s going to cum.

“There! _Oh there!_ Keith, baby!” 

“So-Fucking good! _Lance!_ ” 

Keith drills his hips faster, thrusting his prostate on every rut of his hips. Tears finally stream down his cheeks as he wails at the pace. All coherent though is lost as he feels his own orgasm catching up to him. He clenches down on that wonderful dick again. 

“K-Keep doing that!” The Galra hisses, increasing the pace in mere seconds. He punches every breath out of Lance, “Unngh! I’mma gonna fill you up!”

“D-Do itt! _Ughhn!_ Do itt Keith!” 

Keith in a quick motion, readjusts his hold on him. Lance finds his knees being spread out as the Galra hooks his arms around them, folding him in half against the wall. That dick pushes in even deeper, and Lance trembles all over, toes curling and dick leaking. He’s going to cum.

“Please, please, pl- _Aaanhgah!_ _Unngh Ke-Keith!_ ”

His crotch spurts against their bodies, asshole clenching hard against Keith’s monstrous dick instantly. Lance screams, orgasm shaking through his body and more tears fall. He gasps and cries even harder, trying hard to catch his breath. Keith on the other hand, has other plans as he keeps up the rough pace.

Lance wails, scratches and shakes against the Galra, his own orgasm still racking through his body, but the man keeps fucking him. Keeps punching breath after breath from his mouth with his relentless pace. Keith growls, his dick pushing deeper and oh God he’s getting even bigger. 

“Keeeeithh, _Uhhhh_ Keithhh baaaaby!” Lance babbles, drool sliding down his lips. Slick pours out of his asshole with every thrust, his asscheeks slapping with a loud echo against Keith’s hips. Small squeaks and hiccups slip past his lips as the Galra continues to push his limits, fucking him into another mind-blowing orgasm.

There’s something at the base, a sort of ball pushing at his rim, trying to get past. _Oh fuck that’s his knot_ and he can barely remember what Acxa told him, mind blank and empty. He going to cum again, fuck Keith is going to make him orgasm again. 

“Laahnce _aaah!_ Lancee, darlin’ _please_ ” Keith whines and Lance barely hears him over his own cries. He can’t keep them in, whimpers and sobs escaping him with every push and pull of that dick, knot prodding at his entrance. The Galra wants to put it in, “Let me innn, _aaahh_ please let me in”

“I’mmaa-I’mm tryinnn _Unhhhh Ah!_ ” Lance tries, really tries to stop trembling, to stop his cries and take all of Keith. But his body shakes, asshole clenching at the base of the dick and it’s too overwhelming. Lance cries out, a new wave of tears rolling down his cheeks, “Sho-Shove it in, put it innnn meee- _Aahhha please_ ”

Keith doesn’t ask further and keeps at it. With every push his knot goes a bit deeper, first a touch then the first peak of an entrance and then it’s all inside of him. 

Lance screams, hole clenching and cums. 

“ _Aaa-Laance! Unnghh!_ ” The Galra moans and thick spurts of cum paint all of his insides. 

Lance is filled to the fucking brim. He’s stuffed full, asshole clenched tight around the Galran knot, a thin drool of cum and slick threatening to slip past the connection. Soft whines are leaving his mouth, body shaking from head to toe as he clings to Keith, the room coming in and out of focus. 

The Galra holds him close to his chest, kissing and licking the raw bites on his neck. Slowly he readjusts his hold on Lance, slipping his arms back to hook around his waist and another under his ass. His legs drop instantly, the support gone and trembling too much to even hold themselves up.

“Fuck” Keith pants, and finally that’s the Keith that Lance recognizes. Another whine escapes his mouth as he buries his face on the man’s neck. The support of the wall is gone, the chilly air in the room sending more shivers down his body “You-you okay?”

His tongue feels heavy in his mouth, mind too numb to even begin to form words. His eyes blink a few times, still too disoriented to come back to himself. Lance barely manages a nod, to reassure the man but it isn’t enough. . 

“Lance? Darling?” Slowly Keith walks further away from their small corner, dick still stuffed inside Lance. It shifts and prods at his sensitive walls like a hot wire and Lance cries. The Galra stops and trembles continue to rock down Lance’s body, breathless moans echoing between their ears. 

“W-Wait” He whispers, voice hoarse and raw.

“Are you okay?” Concern laces Keith’s question as he continues, “Was I too hard on you?”

“Cer- _ah_ -certainly” Lance breathes, resting his forehead over Keith’s shoulder and turning to look at him. The man is already gazing at him, and he’s met with the familiar pair of indigo eyes. A small smile etches at his lips and then a quiet giggle, “Doesn’t-t mean I-I didn’t like it”

“ _Lance_ ” Keith chastises and he giggles again, mind finally returning back to him.

“I’m fine” He insists, coughing and then adding, “I told you not to hold back didn’t I?”

“Well y-yeah” A dark blush creeps onto Keith’s face as he pouts. Lance giggles once again and the man carefully starts walking them towards the bed, dick still nestled inside. The knot is mostly gone by now, their mix of juices slipping out of Lance’s asshole with every step they took. Lance bites down his whines, still clinging onto Keith, refusing to let him slip out. The Galra gasps at the sudden clench and hisses “But I-”

“But nothing” Lance flickers him on the nose, “ _I like it,_ okay. I like everything that you do to me, rut present or not”

And because he’s still unwilling to let the man go, he clenches hard against his dick over again. Low curses fly out of Keith’s mouth in a swift sentence. His eyes flash golden and in a beat the man gives another deep thrust inside Lance.

“You- _fuck!_ You dick!” He screams, legs trembling over again, toes curling as he nestles deeper against Keith’s chest. Lance feels the man’s smirk over his own neck, hips slowly inching further inside. If they keep at it they will never get to the bed. His own dick is slowly coming back to life and he bites another moan.

“Let’s get on the bed” Keith whispers. 

They settle over the small mattress, the bed dipping down along with their connected bodies. Lance catches sight of the discarded Blade suit at the foot of the bed along with rumpled sheets and torn up pillows. He kisses Keith’s furry skin as he lays on top of the man. The Galra underneath purrs, tail flickering to one side to the other like a cat. 

Lance smiles and with great effort slowly sits up over the man’s lap. Keith's eyes are stuck on him, widening and immediately placing both of his hands over the curve of his small waist. God he’s getting hard again.

“Enjoying the view?” Lance asks, a wicked idea already forming in his mind as he spreads out both knees. 

“Very much” Keith gulps, his dick hardening inside Lance’s asshole. He suppresses a moan, legs trembling as he tries to spread them open. His own dick is up and hard again, sticky with cum as it starts leaking once more. He’s definitely not walking after this.

“Good” Lance murmurs and winks. 

Slowly he starts undulating his hips, forward and back, over and over again, short and precise movements. Keith’s crotch throbs with every nudge, the man panting and cursing underneath his breath. Lance has to bite down his smirk, keeping up the snail like pace.

“F-Fuck” The Galra moans, eyes scrunched and head thrown back. His fingers tightly hold onto Lance’s waist, claws leaving behind red marks over his skin. He whimpers, dick hardening at the pain and he’s tempted to go faster.

His shaking hands find purchase over Keith’s heaving chest, fingers trembling so slightly as he tugs at the purple fur. Lance moans at a sudden thrust dead on his prostate. His legs tremble, but he keeps rutting his hips. 

“So- _sso goood_ ” Lance whines, mind numbing with pleasure, “You feel sooo-fuuhcking good inside me”

“Aaangh Lance, _Lance_ ” 

Keith moans loud and unabashed, eyes barely open as he keeps those beautiful sounds coming. Lance feels a sharp thrill lighting up his chest. The image of the Galra breaking apart in front of him is making him see stars. God he wants to keep going, wants to ravish Keith and be wrecked in return. 

“Unhh Babyy aaahh! _B-Babyy!_ ” A moan slips out and then another as he increases the pace, ass shaking at the movement. Without warning Keith tightens his grip over Lance’s waist and thrusts inside. Lance screams.

His chest heaves as he bounces up and down with Keith’s sudden rough pace. His arms shake as he tries to blink back tears, soft sniffles and sobs escaping his lips. With a breathless gasp he spreads his knees further apart, and grips to the man’s chest. The Glara blearily blinks up at him, mouth opening and the question is drowned out as Lance heaves himself up, leaving only the tip inside before plunging down. 

“Fuck!” Keith screams, and Lance takes it as a challenge to keep hearing that boy sing for him. 

He can’t stop his own moans as well. Keith’s dick is hitting all the right spots, thrusting at his prostate with outright accuracy. Lance sobs at the ruthless pace they set, his own legs barely keeping him up. Drool goes past his lips, eyes unfocused and mind too hazy to think about anything else but him and Keith. 

“ _Oooohh!_ Unngh Uhhh Oh God!”

“Baby, babyyy! Ooooh Laaahnce” 

Keith’s moans fuel him further, his asshole clenching around that throbbing dick. Lance sobs at the forceful thrusts rearranging his insides. He’s writhing in pleasure, taken apart piece by piece. Tears roll down his cheeks, his legs barely keeping him up.

“ _Ke-Keeeithhh!_ ” Lance screams, body shaking unable to hold on any longer. The Galra goes harder at his prostate, making him bounce up and down, completely at the mercy of the man underneath him. Sobs and mewls spill from his mouth, tears cascading down his face “Oooooh! Unnng, Uhhh! _Ba-Baby!_ ”

“Ur perfect, so fucking perfect- _oh!_ Perfect for me!” The Galra pants, hands roughing up his skin, leaving down red marks over his ass. He moans and screams, cum and slick squelching over his quivering thighs. Keith’s eyes flash golden, “K-Keep going baby! Aaanggh! Ruin yourself!”

“Keith, K-Keiiithh, oo _oh f-fuck!_ ” 

His own body finally breaks down. 

Lance’s legs finally give out and he flops right on top of Keith’s heaving chest. He whines and struggles, the good rhythm gone now, but as he tries sitting up again his body refuses to cooperate. The Galra gathers his writhing form in his arms, slipping his legs between Lance’s own to spread them further apart.

Keith punches moan after moan as he picks up the pace, shoving his hard crotch further his asshole, rearranging his insides. Lance’s hips buckle at the rough pace, hands shaking as they finally find purchase over the man’s shoulders. The repetitive abuse at his prostate leaves him seeing stars, screaming and crying out with every sharp thrust. 

He can’t keep this up. His body is locking in on itself, growing tight and preparing itself. Lance shudders, more drool slipping past his lips as he tries calling out for his lover, words slurring and garbling together. 

_Cummingcummingcumming-_

“Uuunhhhgg! Oooohh K-Keithhh! _Oh! Keithh!_ ” Lance sobs, cum spurting out of his dick. The thick liquid stains their joined chests, and the orgasm just keeps crashing over him. It keeps building up and up, never-ending.

“Laance, Ooooh babyy!”

Keith keeps going at it, keeps the onslaught of pleasure to his prostate, spreading Lance’s trembling legs further apart. He can’t take it, it’s too fucking much. Lance writhes, shakes and mewls, but the Galra keeps going, wrecking overwhelmed sobs out of his mouth with every rough thrust to his ass. 

A sudden rush takes over his body and oh fuck he feels another orgasm approaching, taking him apart by the seams. His own dick is spent, feeble and tiny spurt leave the tip, cum smearing over their glistening skin. He can’t cum anymore. 

Lance only sobs and holds on. 

The Galra kisses down every bit of skin, neck, nape, cheeks and lips that he can reach. He responds accordingly, his own fingers tightening to hold on to the man’s frame. The knot swells inside Lance’s asshole, growing and growing until it slips past inside his rim once again. He clenches down on it, mewling against the kiss but the thrusts grow brutal.

“Ungghhhh Ahaang, Oh my-”

“Babby! Angghhh!”

Two, three more thrusts and Keith overflows his ass with thick white cum. A shot of lighting racks through Lance’s body, the dry orgasm making him shudder in place. He lets out a silent moan, dick utterly spent and mind slipping away from the room. Lance mewls and whines, Keith’s own moans echoing inside his head. 

He’s empty, utterly wrecked and out of this plane of existence. 

His body keeps shaking as his eyes slip shut, sleep overtaking all of his senses. Lance burrows deeper into Keith’s embrace, seeking out his warmth and love before drifting off. The Galra gathers him in his arms without questions, maneuvering them and lying side by side, the fat knot still locking them in place.

Deep satisfied purrs are the last thing Lance hears before finally passing out. 

* * *

The days blur out just like that. Lance wakes up to a horny mess of a Galra and screams his voice hoarse at the onslaught of pleasure. He loses count of the nerve shaking orgasms Keith delivers him and the times that wonderful knot locks them both in their sex-crazed haze. He ends up being a mess of sweat and cum, thighs shining with that thick glistening liquid and neck littered with love bites. 

Keith isn’t any better. Lance leaves his own set of hickeys and love bites over that toned chest and neck, and litters the man’s back with deep red nail marks from his shoulders down to his ass. The Galra looks wrecked every time they go at it, chest heaving and knot already flaring up before Lance even blows him. But in less than a minute after finishing, Keith’s already punching another orgasm out of him.

He wants to say after this he won’t have sex for at least a fucking year, but goddamn the ammount of strength Keith has as a full-on Galra makes a man wonder.

Lance rouses from his sleep, eyes blinking at the filtering sunlight and distantly he hears excited murmurs and annoyed remarks. He blinks back a few times and also notices the silent rumbling from the ship has ceased. They’re back on Earth. 

Carefully he sits up, the pain shooting at his back at first is now a soft ache. Lance pouts, gathering the discarded bed sheets to cover his naked body and gives his ass a soft pat. And though the pain is mostly gone now, he wouldn’t attempt walking without Keith around. Not with the way his legs started trembling when Lance tried going to the bathroom on his own after the first day. 

Speaking of the Galran, he’s nowhere to be seen. Lance sees the discarded Blade uniforms now folded up over a small desk and the bathroom door open, but with no sign of Keith whatsoever. He pouts and tugs the sheets closer to cover him. 

He crawls over the mattress, and peers into the high circular window above the bed and sure enough the blue sky greets him back, the Garrison’s ships and jets soaring above them. Lance plops back onto the bed, and gross he feels too sticky. He sniffs his own arms and pouts. He definitely needs to take a bath. 

“If Keith’s not back, I’m crawling into that bath tub by myself” He mumbles, looking around to search for his own cell phone but fuck it’s already out of battery. Lance groans and before he decides to even place a foot on the floor, the door hisses open

“No, no! Leave!” Keith’s yells echo across the hall closely followed by Ezor’s thrilled shrieks. He can distinguish Zethrid’s own booming laughter and Acxa’s quiet chuckles as the man of the hour appears into the doorway. 

“Oooooooh be sure to leave our regards to your mate dear leader!” Ezor coos over the hall and Keith curses back. 

“Next time do please settle in the farthest room of the ship” Acxa says, stoic and Lance can see the small smirk playing at her lips “We don’t want an input of your activities”

“Just go!”

The door closes behind a glaring Keith, cheeks aflame and Galra ears almost popping out of his ponytail. And god damn, the man is dressed extra fine this early in the day. Black jeans hugging at his legs along with a pair of combat boots, chains adorning his belt. _He looks so fucking badass_ , he shrieks in his mind, the outfit finishing off with a deep wine button up and his classic leather jacket. 

He looks like a fucking dream come true. 

And Keith glows, joys radiating from deep inside those mesmerizing indigo eyes, relaxed posture and a faint trace of a smile tugging at his lips. And he did that, he realizes with a beat, he put such an adorning look on the Galra’s face. Giggles escape his lips and Keith is instantly onto him. 

His face softens and he’s next to Lance in three strides. Before he can even greet him, Keith swoops down to give him a full-blown kiss on the lips, sweet and chaste, but all in all a loving kiss. More giggles slip by as Lance eagerly responds back, a smile breaking over his own lips.

“Good morning to you too.” He says after they part, Keith chuckling and settling right next to him on the bed. Lance continues to grin, tugging the bed sheets over his body and leaning onto the man’s broag chest. Keith gathers him in his embrace without question, nosing at his hair and neck. 

“It’s already midday.” The Galra says, propping his chin over the top of his head. On another day, Lance would shriek and jump out of bed to get started to the day. But right now, gathered in the arms of the boy that he loves, enjoying a nice and quiet morning? No, he’s enjoying this was too much. Maybe he can convince Keith to lounge around all day. Hell maybe the rest of the week.

“Damn” Lance giggles, “When did we land?”

“Apparently we got here last night” Keith explains, slowly rubbing a hand up and down Lance’s back. He furrows closer into the embrace, “But ah well, they didn’t want to interrupt”

“We probably wouldn’t have heard them anyway.” 

“Not with how loud you were screaming” Lance pinches his sides without mercy and Keith pulls back with a laugh, “Ah sorry, sorry!”

“You dick” He says with slitted eyes but amusement laces at his every word, “After I let you wreck me into the next week this is how you repay me? Really Samurai? You don’t deserve this” Lance signals down to his body with a flourish of hands. 

“I really don't,” Keith says, tone serious and no longer joking around. Lance blinks, still looking at him and before he can quip back, the man rushes ahead, “But I’ll make it up to you”

“Eh?”

“I’ll make it up to you” The Galra repeats and Lance can only blink in response. There’s a fierce determination pooling inside Keith’s eyes, making his chest twisting itself in never-ending knots. His heart thrums at the sight and Lance wants to make a cocoon of himself with the blankets and scream in a pillow. 

“And-and how exactly are you doing t-that?” He hopes he looks as steady as his voice sounds, but a traitorous blush is already settling on his cheeks. Keith looks downright amused, his smile only widening at the sight. 

“Well first this.”

The Galra fully gathers him into his arms, swooping one arm around Lance’s back and the other under his legs. Lance’s eyes widen and before he can say anything, the man is standing up. He shrieks and clings to him, the bed sheets still covering most of his body but hoo damn this is sending his heart into an overdrive. 

“W-What-”

“I’m giving you a bath” Keith says in a beat, feet moving to the small room by the corner, “I took the bath salts from your own room and brought you a new set of clean clothes.” 

And sure enough, once they enter the bathroom, Lance smells the scent vanilla and lavender permeating the air. He peers into the bathtub and smiles at the sight. The bathtub is filled with bustling bubbles, sparkles glistening on the water’s surface along with his hair products resting over by the counter. A fresh set of clothes are hanging from the door, a pair of thigh light blue fitted jeans along with a white button up shirt and his denim jacket. Lance blinks and sees his favorite pair of white sneakers as well. Nothing too fancy, but not too casual either.

“What’s-?” He asks as Keith carefully settles him over the counter of the bathtub. Lance tugs onto the bed sheets around his body, feeling even more vulnerable and exposed than when they were in the middle of the Galra’s rut. There’s an excitement bubbling up inside of him, tugging at his heart strings and making up wild scenarios inside his mind. 

He can’t suppress the shy smile eating at his lips. Lance opens his mouth, and closes it, before opening it once again. Keith eagerly waits, grin widening at his loss for words. 

“Is-is this why you’re dressed up like this?” Tha man chuckles at the question but doesn't deny it. Lance’s eyes dart over to the bathtub and to his set of clothes, hands slightly shaking over his chest. His mind runs wild with ideas, scenarios and a fuck-ton of questions. _Is he-_ he stares back up at Keith, _No he’s not. Or is he?_ “Wait, wait are you-”

“We’re going on a date” 

Keith says it as a fact. No question, no doubts. Just as it is. 

_We’re going on a date._

Lance shrieks and throws himself at Keith’s arms. The man curses but catches him, always catches him, as they both crash against the white tiles. The bedroom sheets lay long forgotten somewhere in the bathroom and no one cares, the two men hugging and laughing over the floor. 

“ _A date!_ ” Lance says between giggles, parting away to look at Keith then kissing the living daylights out of him. He gives him one, two, infinite amounts of kisses, on his lips, his cheeks, forehead, eyelids, every piece of skin he can get his mouth on from this beautiful man. 

Joy overrides his senses, heart elated and beating right out of his chest. He feels invincible, he feels as if he could take on the Galra all over again by himself. He giggles, laughs and keeps kissing Keith. This is by no means Lance’s first date by far, but just the fact that it’s the first (of many) with Keith is leaving him on cloud-nine. God he loves him so fucking much, his lips might tear into two at how wide he’s smiling. Even a few tears manage to slip by. 

“Who-who knew you could be so romantic Kogane?” Lance breathes out, a smile still plastered on his face as he looks at the man holding him. Keith hasn’t stopped grinning, not when they were kissing and certainly not now. He looks so sure, so unabashed and god he looks so handsome. There’s no strings holding him back. 

  
  


“I can be romantic for my boyfriend” He says that as a fact. The Galra hasn’t taken into account that Lance’s heart might explode at any moment at the words spilling from his mouth. _My boyfriend_ , Lance swoons at the sound, “That is if he wants to be my boyfriend”

Lance can’t stop the roll of his eyes as he swoops down to give the man another mind blowing kiss as an answer. 

“Well dear _boyfriend_ ” His heart thrums at the word coming from his own lips and Keith’s own chest heaves at the sound, grin widening instantly, “I would love to go on this romantic extravaganza that you have prepared for us then.” 

“Buckle up darling,” His _boyfriend_ says, “I don’t plan on letting you go.”

“I’m counting on it.” 

And Keith steals the smile off of him with another well deserved kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> 🌺 [**tumblr**](https://castlebrenda.tumblr.com)  
>  🌺 [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/viren_writes)  
>  after a year of working on this thing i finally finished it! oh gosh i got stuck writing this piece so many times lol it was from starting it really angsty to re-do it again then adding the fuckbuddies part and finally finally liking where the story was going, i was going to abandon it halfway through haha bu well here it is, im actually a bit proud of this one and well i hope it brightens your day reading it hahaha
> 
> be safe during these though times!
> 
> ps. this title of this fic was also inspired by this [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8WlA2GXbk) if you want to check it out!
> 
> ps2. so i created a NSFW twitter account if you wish to follow me. im not used on posting threads or anything but i'll try haha it'll most likely be pure likes and retweets because damn i've seen some good threads in there haha it'll mostly be klance as well and that's it, give me a follow if you'd like! thanks (no minors!)


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